A ‘distraught’ George Russell skipped Kimi Antonelli’s immediate Formula One title celebrations after being let down by Mercedes during the Formula One Grand Prix.
And team principal Toto Wolff apologised to driver Russell for the ‘s***show’ after he suffered yet another technical fault on a day of rejoicing for his junior team-mate.
Antonelli, aged 20 years and 68 days, became the youngest Formula One title-winner in history after finishing third at the Mexican GP, wrapping up the crown with four races to spare in his second full season.
Russell had the respect to congratulate Antonelli but did not hang around on the track or for his media duties, taking a £4,173 fine as a result.
The Englishman, who at 28 is still seeking a Drivers’ Championship, started the day in second but an engine battery deployment failure saw him drop back to sixth. He also served a ten-second penalty for a collision with Isaac Hadjar. It felt like the story of his season in miniature.
‘I saw George after the race on the FIA scales, and obviously he’s distraught about the situation,’ Wolff said.
George Russell was ‘distraught’ after Kimi Antonelli’s title win after a season where everything has gone wrong for him, says Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff
Russell did congratulate Antonelli but did not hang around on track or for his interviews
‘It was a great show of sportsmanship to go and see Kimi.
‘I have known George for such a long time. So, I saw him and thought, for a racing driver, this is a catastrophic moment.
‘And maybe today the race was a little bit a picture of his season. This was a race for him to win. We had the pace in the car. And we let him down on the first straight. The energy delivery is not what we thought it should be.
‘And so I’m very much with him at the moment. I’ve been in situations where it’s very, very difficult to cope.
‘So, him not doing the media work, or leaving the track, is absolutely understandable. Him staying would have actually surprised me.’
Russell entered the season as Mercedes’ number one driver but it has not gone to plan and he is fourth in the drivers’ standings, the joint-highest he has ever finished.
On a race-by-race basis, Russell has been bemoaning his car’s performance.
He has suffered three Did Not Finishes this season – in Canada, Belgium, and Singapore – leading to a loss of 43 points based off where he was at the time of his retirement.
Antonelli became the youngest Formula One champion in history aged 20 years and 68 days
Russell was also the victim of a water leak and anti-stall in Hungary, another power unit issue in Malaysia, and further complications in China, Japan, and the United States.
In July Russell claimed he was feeling optimistic, feeling that the team had fixed his persistent engine issue, but he has been unable to achieve consistency since then.
‘It’s unfortunately happened too many times this season, and, yeah, this is just where we are,’ he said after retiring from the Singapore GP while he was driving in third.
Further bad luck beset him in Monaco where, after being handed a five-second time penalty for pitlane speeding, a team miscommunication caused him to serve it incorrectly and he ended up with a ten-second dock, causing him to finish 12th.
Russell’s bad fortune should not take away from the joy felt for Antonelli, whose father claims he was ‘born in a garage’ and has been practising simulators since the age of three.
‘We did it! And without them, I wouldn’t be here, without Mercedes, without my family,’ he said.
‘So, I’m very grateful for this moment, and it’s one that will live forever. I’m speechless. I’m trying to process what just happened.
‘This weekend I did feel a bit more tense, but I’m just so happy and happy that we got it done, and then we can now we can enjoy the rest of the season.’
Lewis Hamilton finished second on Sunday and said: ‘A huge congratulations to Kimi and the Mercedes team. It’s great to see them all up here celebrating their success. Youngest world champion ever. It’s pretty phenomenal, and I’m so grateful to be in the race to witness it.’
Max Verstappen, who finished third, added: ‘What a season he had, and you know, to do that also at such an age, I think it’s just really, really impressive
‘It’s amazing to see the whole team, of course, celebrating with him, his family is here as well. So, I’m sure this is a very emotional day for him, and I’m very proud of him.’
