Toto Wolff reveals Mercedes findings after ‘complete BS’ Bono team radio emerges
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff is one of the most successful team principals in F1 history
Toto Wolff has revealed that Mercedes found no evidence of Andrea Kimi Antonelli releasing the clutch or coming off the brakes after he was penalised for a false start at the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
It comes after Peter Bonnington, Antonelli’s race engineer, described the decision to hand his driver a five-second penalty as “complete BS” over team radio.
Toto Wolff addresses Antonelli penalty after ‘complete BS’ Bono verdict
Antonelli was one of the standout performers in Las Vegas last weekend, recovering from 17th on the grid to an eventual third-placed finish.
The Italian managed a set of hard tyres across the final 48 laps after pitting early with Antonelli originally crossing the line in fourth place.
A five-second penalty for a false start initially saw him drop to fifth in the provisional classification before McLaren pair Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were disqualified for excessive skid-block wear, promoting Antonelli into the top three.
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Antonelli’s penalty came despite television replays appearing to show only marginal movement ahead of the race start.
As reported by PlanetF1.com, Bonnington branded the FIA stewards’ decision “complete BS” while congratulating his driver over pit-to-car radio at the chequered flag.
Speaking after the race, Wolff accepted the stewards’ decision by acknowledging that the FIA’s sensors would have spotted Antonelli’s movement on the grid.
He went on to reveal that Mercedes’ own investigation had found no “irregular” activity with Antonelli’s use of the clutch and the brakes before the start.
Wolff said: “We couldn’t spot anything on the clutch, nor anything that would have pointed us to an irregular start.
“But the FIA have sensors, so let’s see what they said.
“For me, I’m the only one who seemed to have seen that there was a little bit of a movement.
“But it definitely wasn’t by releasing the clutch or getting off the brake pedal, so we shall see what the FIA says.”
The stewards conceded that Antonelli’s movement was “slight”, writing in its report of the incident: “The Stewards reviewed positioning/marshalling system data, video, timing, and in-car video evidence.
“Although the movement was slight, consistent with previous start incidents, the minimum penalty of 5 seconds is applied.”
More on Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Mercedes from PlanetF1.com
Antonelli’s teammate George Russell was compromised by a recurring issue with his steering wheel during the Las Vegas Grand Prix weekend.
Russell, who won in Nevada in 2024, was first heard raising a complaint during qualifying before the problem once again raised its head in the race.
Wolff has vowed to get to the bottom of the problem, adding: “It’s the second time the steering wheel doesn’t come back when opening the wheel on the exit of the corner.
“We need to see also what it was because we changed the parts overnight and it didn’t make a big difference.”
