George Russell defends Mercedes team orders against himself at Dutch Grand Prix

ZANDVOORT, Netherlands – George Russell defended Mercedes for imposing team orders in favour of his Formula One championship-leading teammate and title rival Kimi Antonelli at the Dutch Grand Prix on Aug 23.

The Briton was in second place late in the race, with Antonelli closing in fast on fresher soft tyres and with two Ferraris behind, all benefiting from pitting during a virtual safety car (VSC) period, while Russell had stayed out.

Mercedes gave the instruction over the radio to “invert” the cars, meaning swop positions rather than fight for position, with the 28-year-old doing so after initially questioning why it was necessary.

After Antonelli finished second to McLaren’s Lando Norris and Russell held on to third place for a double Mercedes podium, the two teammates exchanged friendly gestures and put the matter to rest.

“I mean, Kimi was ahead of me anyway, so he deserved to finish ahead,” said Russell.

“Of course, when you’re in the race, you want to fight for every single position. But with the pace, with a new tyre, he would have overtaken anyway. So it’s the right decision and (I am) just happy to be standing on the podium,” he added.

Antonelli thanked Russell for making his life easier.

“I feel we put George at risk with having to let me by and everything. But I still think, at the end of the day, it was a great team execution with how things were,” said the Italian, who has 242 points in total and is now 59 points clear of his teammate and Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton, who are both on 183.

Team boss Toto Wolff said team orders were always harsh for a driver but the team had prepared for such situations.

“It wasn’t a very difficult call because Kimi was running second, clear of George (before the pitstop), and that’s basically the order we restored. So, completely normal,” said the Austrian. “We would have done it the other way around also.”

Mercedes said Russell would have dropped behind Hamilton, who finished fourth, had he also pitted during the VSC period. The team said the switch gave them the best possible chance of retaining second place on a day when they lacked the pace to win.

Antonelli will take a grid penalty of at least 10 places and could start at the back for the Italian Grand Prix in September due to an engine change, Wolff said.

Monza, the next race, will be his first home race of the season and comes after his 20th birthday on Aug 25.

The grid drop for exceeding the season’s allocation of parts will depend on how many power unit components Antonelli replaces, but Wolff said the change would be significant and necessary.

“With Kimi, we are taking the full thing,” Wolff told reporters. “In theory, our calculations say that (Monza) is the best track to take it (the penalty). Obviously our algorithms don’t take the nationality into consideration. But it is a fight for a championship and not to get the most PR. So that’s what we are going to do.”

Antonelli won five races in a row earlier in the season, six in total so far, and is on course to become Italy’s first world champion since Alberto Ascari in 1953 – a sensational development for a country more used to cheering for Ferrari.

Wolff said discussions with Russell on when to take a similar penalty were ongoing, but he would also have to take one.

Monza is the fastest track on the calendar and one where straight-line speed is key. Overtaking is less of a problem than elsewhere and a new engine will give Antonelli a boost in performance even if he starts towards the back. REUTERS