Mercedes take blame for devastating George Russell Monaco GP spiral

Mercedes has accepted responsibility for George Russell’s disappointing result at the Monaco Grand Prix after a penalty error severely compromised his race.

Russell’s afternoon unravelled when a time penalty for speeding in the pit lane was not served correctly, resulting in an additional drive-through penalty that dropped him out of the points.

The Briton was one of several drivers penalised for pit-lane speeding during the race. However, the situation worsened after the field was compressed by a red-flag restart, making the consequences of the incorrectly served penalty even more costly.

As a result, Russell lost significant track position when he was forced to serve the drive-through, ultimately falling out of the points-paying positions.

Team principal Toto Wolff insisted Mercedes must take full responsibility for the mistake and called for a thorough review to understand how the error occurred and ensure it is not repeated.

“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,” Wolff told media including RacingNews365.

“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.

“What I remember is about staying out and not coming in, but nevertheless, you've got to be on it, then to hold him, and we didn't.

Wolff explains 'mixed emotions' podium trip

On the other side of the Mercedes garage, Kimi Antonelli continued his remarkable run of form by claiming a fifth consecutive victory, extending his lead in the drivers’ championship to a commanding 66 points.

Team principal Toto Wolff joined the podium celebrations after the race, despite the contrasting emotions within the team following George Russell’s misfortune.

While Russell has endured a difficult spell in recent races, Wolff expressed confidence that the Briton has the ability to reverse his fortunes and return to form in the near future.

“I haven't gone to a podium for 10 years, because it's always difficult to balance between one side of the garage being happy and the other one not.

“They couldn't avoid it, because the board member that I wanted to go said he needs to catch a flight.

“Then the team said, 'You got to go, it's the home place'. While standing there, it's with mixed feelings.

“The Montreal race was his to win, we let him down. [In Monaco] probably we could have had a podium, if not for the penalty mistake.

“I've talked with him yesterday, and today, this is a long championship. Last year, remember people were saying,  'Piastri has won it'. 

“It's not necessarily only about one year, but it's many years. Luck swings your direction, and then sometimes it doesn't.

“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.

“F1 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.”