Mercedes chief Toto Wolff says people who believe the team have favoured Kimi Antonelli over George Russell this season are "brainless" and should watch Teletubbies and Mickey Mouse instead of Formula 1. Antonelli has defied pre-season expectations to build an 84-point lead over Russell at the top of the Drivers' Championship with just seven races remaining, including this weekend's Singapore Grand Prix. Wolff offered a scathing response to the suggestion Mercedes do not treat their drivers equally, which included a reference to criticism the team previously faced from Lewis Hamilton fans before the seven-time world champion left to join Ferrari.
"They're brainless, whoever thinks that," Wolff said on Friday in Singapore. "It's completely nonsensical. We've had it in the past with Lewis fans." Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Russell will start from the back of the grid in Singapore after an engine failure last weekend in Malaysia forced him into taking a penalty.
The Brit also confirmed on Thursday that he is likely to have to incur a further grid penalty before the end of the season given the position he has been left in by multiple technical failures. Antonelli has also suffered from poor reliability this season, with technical issues costing the 20-year-old significant points hauls in Barcelona and at Silverstone. Despite the problems, Mercedes are closing in on a first constructors' title since 2021, as they hold a 151-point lead over Ferrari at the top of the standings.
Wolff continued: "I don't know what's going on. Do they think I have a button that says, 'George, engine failure now?' "Or disadvantaging one driver against the other when we're fighting for the Constructors' Championship, when we've always had the mindset of providing everybody with equal material." The Austrian suggested the situation is potentially a product of the way social media is used, but insisted that he is ultimately amused by it. "I guess this is maybe where social media goes today," he added.
"People hide behind their screens and then they lash out. There's a lot of polarisation going on. "Sometimes I read what people write, I find it hilarious.
These people really contribute to my own entertainment when they're abusing the team or myself. "Zero understanding and respect for people who come up with these things. Rather than watching Formula 1, they should do Teletubbies, or some Mickey Mouses." Wolff offered a further response to the idea that he favours Antonelli by revealing elements of the close relationship he and his wife Susie Wolff share with Russell and the Brit's partner Carmen Montero Mundt.
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