Wolff Calls Out ‘Biased’ Stewarding in F1 After Verstappen Escapes Penalty at US Grand Prix

Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff voices concerns over 'biased' officiating following Max Verstappen's penalty avoidance

Mercedes leader Toto Wolff has raised doubts about the impartiality of F1 officiating after the United States Grand Prix incident.

Mercedes team leader Toto Wolff has raised doubts about the impartiality of F1's officials following a contentious United States Grand Prix, suggesting that their decisions may be prejudiced.

George Russell received a five-second penalty for pushing Sauber's Valtteri Bottas off the track in the initial phase of Sunday's race at COTA, a sanction that Wolff criticized as completely ludicrous.

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In the midst of the action, Lando Norris of McLaren faced a penalty for overtaking his Formula 1 championship competitor Max Verstappen outside the designated track limits at Turn 12, amidst an intense fight for third place. This dispute for the podium position eventually concluded in favor of the Red Bull racer.

In a conversation with Russell via team radio during the cool-down lap, Wolff was heard criticizing the choice not to penalize Verstappen for forcing Norris off track at the race's beginning, labeling it as "biased decision-making."

Russell inquired, "Was Verstappen penalized for his move at the first turn?"

Wolff replied, "No, he wasn't penalized, and ultimately, Lando was penalized for being pushed off track and passing on the outside. It seems the decision-making was somewhat prejudiced, but that's not unexpected."

Russell responded, saying, "Yeah… odd."

In a post-race interview with Sky Sports, Wolff criticized the stewarding decisions during the Austin weekend as "utterly strange and peculiar."

"Wolff expressed frustration, noting a lack of consistency. He pointed out that in Bottas' case, it didn't feel like a genuine race. He highlighted that in the previous day's sprint race, there were similar occurrences that went unpunished, despite the fact that they were competing for actual positions."

"Getting that penalty is totally strange and peculiar. I believe we understand the reason, but clearly, I can't mention it on TV."

In response to whether he believed it was a result of overly cautious race management, Wolff remarked, "There are times when connections can be seen."

Pressed for clarity on his use of 'correlations', Wolff elaborated, "It refers to decision-making processes that are somewhat intriguing."

Wolff wrapped up the interview with the remark, "Ultimately, it's a challenging role. There are some [stewards] who excel at it, while others are putting in their utmost effort, and it's important to acknowledge their efforts."

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