Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff expressed his strong disapproval of the FIA stewards’ decisions during the US Grand Prix held on Sunday. The prestigious event witnessed a flurry of five-second penalties, one of which was handed to Mercedes driver George Russell for leaving the track and gaining an advantage over Valtteri Bottas, a ruling that Wolff branded as a “total joke.”
Controversy also surrounded Max Verstappen during the race, notably regarding incidents with Lando Norris at turn one and later during lap 53 when Norris received a five-second penalty for overtaking Verstappen off-track. This penalty led to Norris slipping from a podium position to finish in fourth place.
In a post-race exchange with Russell, the British driver questioned whether Verstappen was penalised for the turn one incident. Wolff responded that no penalty was given to Verstappen and remarked on Norris’s penalty, suggesting a hint of bias in the stewards’ decisions.
During an interview with Sky Sports F1 after the race, Wolff further criticised the stewards with a cryptic response to Ted Kravitz, calling the decision-making “inconsistent” and describing Russell’s penalty as “completely odd and bizarre.” He alluded to potential reasons behind the decisions but refrained from divulging specifics on air.
Lando Norris and McLaren team principal Andrea Stella also voiced their concerns over the stewards’ verdicts at the Circuit of the Americas. Despite Russell finishing in sixth place after his earlier penalty and teammate Lewis Hamilton crashing out on lap two, it was Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc who emerged victorious, with Carlos Sainz in second and Verstappen securing third place.
The US Grand Prix witnessed a thrilling and eventful race that left fans and experts alike discussing the stewards’ decisions and their impact on the outcome of the competition.