Mercedes F1 star George Russell reveals Toto Wolff mistake nearly caused crash

Mercedes star George Russell was there to pick up the pieces after Max Verstappen and Lando Norris collided at the Austrian Grand Prix on Sunday.

The British star was third until the collision between the two leaders catapulted him to the top of the standings, where he held off Oscar Piastri to claim only his second Formula 1 victory.

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The top two came into contact on lap 64 after what had been a memorable battle for first position, an incident which forced Norris to retire and Verstappen to drop back before finishing P5.

Russell’s team-mate Lewis Hamilton finished just outside the top three as the gap between the two in the drivers’ standings widened to 26 points.

Russell nearly crashes in Austria

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff was delighted to see Russell take control of proceedings, but an emotional outburst from the Austrian caught the former Williams driver off guard.

Speaking on team radio, Wolff exclaimed: “George, you can win! You can win, George!”

Russell, however, was far from impressed by the interruption as he sought to refocus after a chaotic few moments, asking his boss to “let me drive”.

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Speaking to Sky Sports F1 after the race, Russell admitted he nearly lost control of his car.

“He screamed in my ear,” the 26-year-old said. “I almost crashed when it happened!”

“It shows the passion we all have. The team has been trying so hard recently.

“Everyone at the factory has worked really hard to make improvements to the car earlier. Sometimes you feel like you’re not getting rewarded for your efforts, and today was the case.”

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