Toto Wolff warns George Russell he is not blameless for Mercedes woes

mercedes, george russell, toto wolff — Photo: © IMAGO

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Toto Wolff warns George Russell he is not blameless for Mercedes woes

Russell pain at Spa

Dan Ripley Global Editor

Professional F1 journalist and analyst

Tuesday 21 July 2026 17:27

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Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has claimed George Russell can not just blame his F1 car for his misfortune in 2026.

Russell entered the season as one of the favourites for the world championship due to having one to the most competitive cars in Mercedes, as well as seeing off his team-mate Kimi Antonelli comfortably in 2025.

But despite winning the opening race of the season in Australian, the campaign has spun wildly away from the British driver, who now sits third in the world championship.

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Although Russell is only five points behind Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton, he now trails Antonelli by 50 points - the equivalent of two race wins - following his retirement at Sunday's Belgian Grand Prix.

Antonelli won the race to compound Russell's misery after he was taken out on the first lap following the Kemmel straight by Hamilton who was hit with a five-second penalty for being at fault for the collision.

Russell started third but dropped places due to an already identified problem with his straight-line speed that was not affecting Antonelli.

The British driver screamed profanity at his team in the aftermath of his crash demanding they sort his issue that is causing him to see his title dreams slip away further.

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Toto Wolff says Russell's problems 50-50

While Toto Wolff has sympathy for Russell's plight, he warned the 28-year-old that his form has also been far from perfect recently in his battle with Antonelli.

Speaking to Sky Sports after the Belgian Grand Prix, Wolff said: “George has our 100 per cent support.

"George tried the outside, late braking and it should have been his corner but that's a racing incident. These things can happen whether you are at the front, middle or back of the pack.

George Russell endured a miserable Belgian Grand Prix weekend

"George had a difficult weekend, probably half of it will be attributed to the power unit that wasn't as good as it should have been on his side, and the other side maybe on the driving.

"But we are in this together. We all do mistakes. Today it was a mistake that the team did, another day it will be a mistake of the driver.

"We just need to minimise it and support each other."