‘We know he’s one of the best’ – Wolff ‘not stressed’ about Russell coming back ‘very strong’ after Monaco frustrations

Toto Wolff has “no doubt” that George Russell will bounce back after he dropped out of the points in the Monaco Grand Prix, adding that his race-altering drive-through penalty was down to a “mistake” made by Mercedes.

After a torrid weekend in Miami, Russell rediscovered his form in Canada as he won the Sprint and secured pole position before a power unit failure forced him to retire from the race.

Although he was hopeful he could turn his luck around, the Briton struggled to find a rhythm in Monte Carlo and ended up searching for answers after qualifying a distant P6, nearly four tenths adrift of his team mate and polesitter Kimi Antonelli.

He remained patient during the eventful race and gradually moved up the order as those ahead suffered issues and retirements, seemingly on course for a podium, but he was ordered to serve a drive-through penalty with just a few laps to go and plummeted to P12 in the final classification.

With Antonelli enjoying such a dominant Sunday, achieving his first career Grand Slam, Wolff was left feeling bittersweet by the contrast between his drivers. He said: “While standing there [on the podium], I'm always with mixed feelings.

“The Montreal race was [Russell’s] to win. We let him down. Today, probably, we could have had a podium, if not for the penalty mistake. And I've talked with him yesterday and today – this is a long championship. Luck swings in your direction, and then sometimes it doesn't.

“And it's not a question of not knowing how to drive. It's about having a car underneath that you feel confident with, and that you can go fast, and that's the fact. Formula 1 is about physics, and not mystics. You don't unlearn how to drive, and you don't become a miracle wonder driver. I'm not stressed at all for his performances because we know he's one of the best.”

Russell was ultimately given the drive-through penalty for failing to serve an original five-second time penalty after speeding in the pit lane. The team brought him in for fresh tyres during a Safety Car period but while other drivers with the same reprimand took the chance to clean the slate, Mercedes failed to do the same for the Briton.

Asked about the incident, Wolff reflected: “Not quite sure what the reason was for the penalty and for the many other penalties, whether it's cutting and then obviously the pit lane time is too quick.

“There will have been a dozen pit lane speeding incidents. That's number one, so I can't really give you an answer.

“As for not serving the stop, clearly our mistake. We need to look at our communication, whether we actually expected him to come in, because I think what I remember is about staying out and not coming in. But nevertheless, you've got to be on it to hold him, and we didn't.”

With Russell taking zero points for a second consecutive Grand Prix, Antonelli has opened up his advantage in the standings to 68 points over his team mate, who has also dropped to third behind Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton.

Wolff is cautious not to let Russell feel too disheartened by his current run, as he explained: “We've got to stay with both feet on the ground, work through the data, see why this one was a difficult one, and Miami was a difficult one, but it is not the pattern that I have seen through the season.

“I couldn't wish for a better combination of the two in a car, and I have no doubt that George will come back very strong, very strong as well, and that makes us good as a team, that we have two drivers that we can rely on, to score the goals, to score the wins, and help us with the Constructors' Championship, or make us win a Constructors' Championship.”