Wolff accuses Sky F1 presenter of finger pointing in Russell question

Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff suggested that Sky F1 presenter Simon Lazenby was pointing the finger after the Belgian Grand Prix.

Wolff was being quizzed on the nature of George Russell’s struggles. Russell, who declared himself “numb to the disappointment” after his Belgium DNF, has been claiming a mystery issue on his Mercedes. Lazenby was accused of finger pointing by Wolff.

George Russell has full support of Toto Wolff and Mercedes

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From P3 on the Belgium grid, Russell found himself losing major ground down the Kemmel Straight after the rise up through Eau Rouge and Raidillon.

His race ended at Les Combes as Russell went late on the brakes and made contact with former teammate Lewis Hamilton. Russell was sent spinning off into the gravel. Hamilton received a five-second penalty.

Mercedes has found “deployment differences” between the cars of Russell and Kimi Antonelli. The team’s initial theory revolved around differences in driving style between the two drivers. Russell adapted his driving style at Spa, but it has not solved the issue.

Untelevised radio captured a sweary rant from Russell as he headed down the Kemmel Straight on the first lap having run out of battery.

Before Mercedes confirmed those initial findings on Russell’s situation after its Belgian GP investigation, Wolff had been speaking with Sky F1.

Presenter Simon Lazenby posed the question of how much this is driver versus car.

“It looks like when he was accelerating out of La Source, it was almost like he’d got a handbrake on,” Lazenby said of Russell to Wolff.

“But is it a combination of things? Is it due to George’s driving style as well as the fact that there is a fundamental deployment issue with his car at the moment? And why is it only his car?”

“George has my and our 100 per cent support,” said Wolff, before adding: “Simon, you’re pointing your finger at stuff here.

“He’s running out of energy at that point. It’s already too late.

“Tried the outside here, late braking, and it should have been his corner, but that’s a racing incident. These things can happen whether you’re in the front, in the middle, or the back of the pack.”

Antonelli went on to win the Belgian Grand Prix, his sixth victory of the season. Russell is back down to third in the standings, now 50 points behind his teammate in P1.

Wolff went on to suggest a 50/50 overall split of fault between Mercedes and Russell, in regards to the Brit’s current struggles.

Wolff took accountability, on Mercedes’ behalf, for Spa, and stressed a commitment to getting this team and driver pairing firing again.

“George had a difficult weekend,” said Wolff.

“Probably half of it is to 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 is going to be the mistake of the driver, and we just need to minimise it and support each other.”

More on George Russell from PlanetF1.com

Mercedes confirms initial George Russell findings after Belgian GP investigation

George Russell ‘numb’ after Lewis Hamilton collision as Mercedes issue sparks anger

Wolff added that “we are trying to solve all the issues. He is doing everything he can to get on top of his driving.”

Wolff’s approach post-race towards a frustrated Russell would be to “try to put my arm around him.”

Russell must look to rebound at this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix, the final round before the summer break.

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