Mercedes fined as Russell skips media duties on Antonelli's title-winning day

Mercedes were fined €5,000 by the FIA after George Russell departed the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez without completing his mandatory post-race media commitments following the Mexico Grand Prix.

Russell had started Sunday’s race from second on the grid but dropped to sixth by the end of lap one after a battery delivery problem cost him four positions. A 10-second time penalty for colliding with Isack Hadjar at Turn 6 compounded a miserable afternoon — one that coincided with team-mate Kimi Antonelli being crowned Formula 1 world champion.

The FIA stewards’ report confirmed the breach: “The stewards heard from the team representative that the driver had left the circuit without attending the post-race media commitments. A penalty of €5,000 is imposed on the competitor.” Mercedes were found in violation of Article B10.1.4e of the regulations, with stewards noting that “the driver failed to attend the hearing and the team representative gave evidence via telephone.”

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff later revealed he had personally given Russell permission to leave early, framing the decision as an act of compassion rather than negligence. “I saw George after the race on the FIA scales and obviously he’s distraught about the situation,” Wolff said. “It was a great show of sportsmanship to go and see Kimi.”

Wolff was candid about the scale of Russell’s disappointment, acknowledging that Mexico had looked like a race his driver could have won. “Maybe 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.”

The Mercedes boss also defended Russell’s early exit without reservation. “Him not doing the media work or leaving the track is absolutely understandable. Him staying would have actually surprised me. That’s absolutely honoured,” Wolff added, noting that Russell had played a key role in bringing Antonelli into the team.

The €5,000 fine is a minor financial penalty for a constructor of Mercedes’ scale, but the circumstances surrounding it — a pre-season title favourite watching a younger team-mate clinch the championship on a day marred by a mechanical failure and a racing incident — underline the difficult position Russell finds himself in heading into the final stretch of the season.