Damon Hill accuses Toto Wolff of undermining Mercedes F1 star George Russell

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Wolff accused of UNDERMINING Mercedes F1 star

Toto Wolff has been accused of 'undermining' one of his Mercedes drivers

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Monday 24 June 2024 19:57 Updated: 15:58

Toto Wolff has been accused of undermining one of his Mercedes drivers following a tense team radio message.

Wolff has steered Mercedes towards championship success during his tenure as team principal, winning eight back-to-back constructors titles.

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However, it has been a troubling time for the Austrian, with Mercedes looking uncompetitive for the majority of the current F1 era, and losing star driver Lewis Hamilton to Ferrari.

Hamilton has often complained about the pace of his Mercedes this season, describing the Canadian GP as one of his ‘worst’ races.

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On the other hand, Hamilton’s team-mate, George Russell, claimed pole position and finished the race in P3.

After a battle for the final podium spot between two Mercedes drivers, Wolff was forced to remind Russell to ‘focus’ over team radio.

Discussing the battle on the Sky Sports F1 Podcast, pundits Damon Hill and Naomi Schiff accused Wolff of ‘undermining’ the young Brit.

“I think it can be slightly undermining if you’re getting coached by your team boss over the radio during a race,” Hill said.

“You know, being told to sort of ‘focus’ - I think he knows what he’s doing, to quote a famous racing driver.”

Hill accuses Toto Wolff of undermining Russell

Naomi Schiff reiterated Hill’s sentiments, assessing the impact of the message on Russell.

“When Toto came on the radio, I thought to myself, ‘gosh’,” she said.

“I remember when my team bosses used to come on the radio and it would put the fear of God in me and I would think to myself ‘what have I done’ that that needs them to come onto the radio?

“So I don't know if that's helpful. Maybe he did need that calming voice. Maybe he did need someone to tell him, look, just reset or refocus, and you've got this, but just stay focused.”

F1 Ferrari Mercedes Toto Wolff Hamilton Verstappen