Toto Wolff admits Mercedes are ‘in serious trouble’ amid concerns of F1 cost cap breach
George Russell’s massive crash in practice at the Mexican Grand Prix was the latest of several recent incidents which have incurred a huge repair bill for Mercedes
Toto Wolff has confessed that Mercedes are at risk of breaking Formula 1 budget cap rules this season.
The cap, introduced by the FIA in 2021, restricts the amount a team can spend throughout the year, with some exemptions. But crash damage is one thing that definitely counts towards the annual allowance and that is something the Silver Arrows have had to fork out on a lot in recent times.
George Russell experienced his second major crash in a week when he smashed into the barriers during FP2 at the Mexican Grand Prix, ending his session early. The Brit climbed out of his car under his own power but TV cameras showed him doubled up and clutching his ribs in pain before he was taken to the medical centre.
Fortunately, a Mercedes spokesperson later confirmed that he had not suffered any lasting damage. But his car needed a total rebuild overnight, requiring more parts which need to be budgeted for.
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And, on that front, team principal Wolff admits he is concerned about the state of his team’s finances in relation to the budget cap. He said of Russell’s 35G smash: “That was a really big impact. He was taken to the medical centre, but he is okay.
“But of course, the car is badly damaged. We do have the parts – I think we can keep the old chassis, but everything else has to go. The engine has to come out, the gearbox has to be checked and everything else. Two corners of the car are completely gone. So it is serious damage.”
Regarding the team’s mounting repair bill, after Russell’s qualifying crash in Austin last week and a big shunt for teenager Andrea Kimi Antonelli during a practice session at Monza in September, Wolff admitted: “We are in serious trouble.
George Russell’s smashed up Mercedes after he crashed in practice at the Mexico GP
George Russell’s smashed up Mercedes after he crashed in practice at the Mexico GP ( Image: Formula 1 via Getty Images)
“We are all struggling to stay within the budget cap and of course we had a bad accident with Kimi at Monza. Then the second one with George last week and now again.”
Since the budget cap was introduced, Red Bull are the only team to have been found guilty of an overspend. They disputed the amount the FIA claimed they had gone over the limit by but conceded that they had still breached the rules and reached a punishment settlement with the governing body.
They were fined £5.4m and had to accept a 10 percent reduction in aerodynamic testing for a 12-month period. Several other teams have been guilty of procedural breaches, relating to paperwork and deadlines, which came with a monetary fine but no sporting penalties.
