George Russell’s crash in Mexico costs Mercedes dearly. Toto Wolff: “We’re at the limit”. Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff explained the budget cap issues the team is facing.

Following his crash in the qualifying session for the United States Grand Prix at the Austin circuit, George Russell hit the wall again in the second free practice session for the Mexican GP, causing significant budget cap concerns for Mercedes. In both incidents, the W15 sustained serious damage, and car number 63 was even taken to the hospital due to the heavy impact.

During the Texas weekend, where Ferrari triumphed with Charles Leclerc, the Brackley team had to deal with a shortage of spare parts. For the season’s nineteenth round, Mercedes had decided to introduce updates on the W15. However, Russell’s crash in Q3 forced the team to use parts from an earlier specification, relegating the Briton to start from the pit lane.

Toto Wolff fears the budget cap
After George Russell’s crash in FP2 at the Mexican GP, Toto Wolff spoke about the potential budget cap issues this could cause for Mercedes. “The chassis should be safe,” said the Silver Arrows’ Team Principal. “However, everything else will need to be replaced. We’ll need to thoroughly inspect everything, from the engine to the gearbox.” – he pointed out.

“We’re really at the limit. Staying within the budget cap isn’t easy, and George’s crashes, along with Kimi Antonelli‘s at Monza, aren’t helping,” Toto Wolff added.