Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has voiced his belief that FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem will address inconsistencies in race stewarding, a topic that came under scrutiny following the US Grand Prix. Wolff’s remarks were prompted by a controversial five-second penalty given to George Russell for forcing Valtteri Bottas off the track at Turn 12. This decision puzzled Russell, particularly as similar incidents later in the race, involving Max Verstappen and Lando Norris, were judged differently, leading to confusion and frustration within the Mercedes camp.
Russell questioned over team radio why Verstappen wasn’t penalized for going off the track at the race start when both he and Norris left the circuit at Turn 1, allowing Charles Leclerc to take the lead. In contrast, Norris was penalized for going off-track and rejoining ahead of Verstappen, despite having been forced wide. Wolff, in response, commented that these decisions appeared biased, highlighting the inconsistencies in the stewards’ rulings throughout the race.
In his post-race briefing, Wolff emphasized the challenges stewards face but insisted that the decision against Russell was hard to justify, as similar incidents had not been penalized before. He refrained from giving a detailed opinion on the Verstappen-Norris clash, leaving that to McLaren, but reiterated the need to assess whether a pattern of inconsistency exists in stewarding decisions. Wolff acknowledged the difficult nature of the stewards’ job but called for more clarity and consistency moving forward.
Russell also shared his perspective, suggesting that while his penalty followed the letter of the law, any steward with racing experience would have recognized that the situation didn’t warrant such a decision. He proposed that using the same set of stewards for an entire season could help ensure more consistent rulings and foster better understanding between drivers and officials. According to Russell, this approach would allow for the application of common sense, instead of rigidly adhering to regulations in every scenario.
However, former F1 driver and current FIA steward Johnny Herbert pointed out a practical obstacle to this idea, noting that stewards receive minimal financial compensation for their work, making it difficult to commit to a full season of races. With the stewarding debate continuing, Russell finished the US Grand Prix in sixth place, and the focus now turns to the upcoming Mexican Grand Prix, the next stop in the F1 calendar.