Mercedes team principal and co-owner Toto Wolff didn’t mince words. Contacts between his drivers and Charles Leclerc disrupted their weekend. Kimi Antonelli, after a poor qualifying that saw him eliminated in Q2, recovered well and was fighting for a podium when he retired. George Russell, despite suffering floor damage in the incident with Charles Leclerc, still managed to score valuable points for the Constructors’ Championship.
Wolff: “At Zandvoort it seemed we had podium pace”
What Wolff doesn’t mention is that the FIA judged Leclerc’s overtake on Russell as legal—the very move he complains about causing the damage. Additionally, Leclerc was found not at fault for the incident with the Italian driver at Turn 3, for which Antonelli himself took responsibility.
“At Monza, we want to have a more concrete weekend compared to Zandvoort,” Toto Wolff told Mercedes’ media. “During the race, there were moments when we thought we had podium pace. Kimi recovered well, despite starting from eleventh position. If it hadn’t been for the contact with Leclerc, he probably would have been fighting with the drivers ahead of him in the final stages.”
“George also saw his race compromised by contact with the Ferrari, again with Leclerc. He sustained significant floor damage, but still managed to secure an important fourth place,” added the Austrian manager.
Wolff: “At Monza to close the gap in the Constructors’ Championship”
George Russell’s fourth-place finish allowed Mercedes to halve the deficit to Ferrari, still at zero points, bringing the gap to 12 points. The team from Stuttgart senses opportunity and will arrive at Monza with a clear goal: “The Italian GP will be an important round for us. There will be a fantastic atmosphere. Kimi will experience his second home race of the season (the first was at Imola). It will be exciting, but our focus will be 100% on the track. The Constructors’ Championship is still very tight for second place, and we need to give our all to reduce the gap,” Wolff concluded.
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