Wolff: Russell’s Mexico media no-show ‘absolutely understandable’ after title heartbreak

George Russell left Mexico City without completing his mandatory post-race media duties, and Mercedes paid the price: a €5,000 FIA fine. Toto Wolff, however, made clear the team had no issue with its driver’s decision, describing Russell as “distraught” after watching Kimi Antonelli seal the 2026 world championship.

Why it matters:

Russell entered the season as Mercedes’ pre-season favourite and spent the year as Antonelli’s closest challenger. Losing the title to a teammate—especially one he helped bring into the team—turned Mexico into an emotional breaking point, not just a procedural lapse.

The details:

• Mercedes excused Russell from its post-race media commitments, but only the FIA can waive the official duties; without that approval, the team was fined.
• Wolff said Russell congratulated Antonelli, his family and the Mercedes crew before leaving the circuit. “Him staying would have actually surprised me,” Wolff said.
• The race compounded Russell’s frustration. From the front row, he lost several places at the start as Mercedes struggled with energy delivery.
• Wolff did not hide the team’s role: “We had the pace in the car, and we let him down on the first straight.”
• He called the moment “catastrophic” for a racing driver and said Russell’s absence was “absolutely understandable.”

What’s next:

The FIA fine closes the procedural matter, but the bigger question is how Russell resets after a season that slipped away to his teammate. Mercedes’ immediate task is to fix the deployment issues that undermined him in Mexico—and convince its lead driver that the title fight is still built around him.