Wolff accuses FIA stewards of ‘bias’ following US GP incidents

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff expressed his frustration with what he perceived as inconsistent and biased decision-making by the stewards during the United States Grand Prix.

The race saw George Russell slapped with a five-second penalty for forcing Alfa Romeo's Valtteri Bottas off the track at Turn 12.

Despite the setback, Russell recovered to finish sixth after starting from the pitlane. Meanwhile, Yuki Tsunoda received an identical penalty for pushing Alex Albon wide during their mid-race battle, but championship leader Max Verstappen was not penalized for two similar incidents during the race.

One key moment involved Verstappen’s aggressive Turn 1 move on Norris at the start of the race, which allowed Ferrari's Charles Leclerc to pass and eventually win the race.

The FIA stewards did not investigate the maneuver, but it was a later incident that sparked more controversy.

As Verstappen's tyres began to fade and Norris attacked with fresher rubber, the two drivers ran wide at Turn 12. Norris overtook Verstappen while off-track but was subsequently handed a five-second penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage.

Read also:

• McLaren: Stewards' call on Norris-Verstappen battle ‘inappropriate’

This sequence of events left Wolff fuming. During the cooldown lap, Russell asked over the radio if Verstappen had been penalized for his Turn 1 move, to which Wolff replied, “No, he didn’t get a penalty and at the end Lando got a penalty for being forced off and overtaking on the outside. I guess it’s a bit biased decision-making but not surprising.”

Post-race, Wolff doubled down on his criticism, particularly regarding Russell’s penalty.

“Everybody is racing hard, but for me the decision against George was inexplicable,” Wolff stated.

“We’ve seen plenty of these situations in turn, what is it, 12? None of them was penalized until George, and then obviously there was another one afterwards.”

When asked about the Verstappen-Norris clash, Wolff was more restrained but still expressed frustration.

“I don’t want to comment on the Max/Lando situation because it’s not my race,” he said.

“They will, I think, Zak [Brown] and Andrea [Stella] are going to look at that. Everybody is giving their best, but I need to hold myself back here.”

Wolff also emphasized that his criticism was not directed at all stewards, acknowledging the difficulty of their job.

“I think there are great stewards," he said. "Honestly, great stewards that have either been in the racing car or have a non-biased view on situations, doing the best of their abilities for a job that is truly difficult.

“And we mustn’t put everybody in the same category. There’s a few inconsistencies, but I’m sure the President is going to look at that.”

In his remarks, Wolff called on FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem to address the issue of inconsistent rulings, highlighting the need for fairness and uniformity in stewarding decisions.

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