Mercedes has been fined €5,000 by the Mexican Grand Prix stewards after George Russell did not attend his post-race media duties, the team has explained. Russell was absent from the media pen, where drivers are required to speak to broadcasters and written media under Article B10.1.4e of the FIA Formula 1 sporting regulations. He was summoned on Sunday evening and Mercedes received the fine.
Mercedes said it excused Russell because he was distraught after a race in which his team-mate Kimi Antonelli secured the title. Russell had an energy deployment problem at the start that sent him backwards from the front row. He then collided with Red Bull's Isack Hadjar, picked up a 10-second time penalty and finished sixth, while Antonelli claimed a podium and the championship.
Russell did not attend Mercedes' celebrations but congratulated Antonelli and his family after the race. Team boss Toto Wolff said he saw Russell at the FIA scales and described him as distraught. Wolff called Russell's visit to Antonelli "a great show of sportsmanship" and said the driver had been responsible for bringing the young man into the team.
Wolff said the day was a "catastrophic moment" for a racing driver and perhaps reflected Russell's season. He said the race had been one for Russell to win and that the team had the pace, but "we let him down on the first straight" because energy delivery was not as expected. Wolff added that he understood Russell skipping media work or leaving the track, saying he would have been surprised if Russell had stayed.
Sources: The Race.