Mercedes fined after George Russell failed media duties at Mexico City Grand Prix

Mercedes have been fined €5,000 after it was found George Russell failed to attend his mandatory media duties after the Mexico City Grand Prix.

Feature image credit: Mercedes F1

Russell was reported to have left the circuit after the Mexico race, failing to complete his mandatory media duties after the conclusion of the race, with the team confirming a problem with his car in an already painful race.

The British driver arrived at Mexico with a slim chance of taking his championship hopes further on into the season, with Kimi Antonelli only needing ninth or higher to take the title. Which the Italian did, but better, securing third to become the sports youngest-ever world champion.

Starting from P2 on the grid, Russell quickly dropped down the order after it was revealed he lost deployment running to turn one. It was quickly compounded with a 10-second time penalty after hitting Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar at turn six, besting sixth overall at the chequered flag.

Following the race’s conclusion, Russell reportedly left the circuit without speaking to the media, where the stewards slapped Mercedes with a fine for the breach. In the stewards report, they said:

“The Stewards heard from the team representative that the driver had left the circuit without attending the post race media commitments.

“Noting that the Stewards can proceed to make a determination in the case of a non attendance at a hearing, a penalty of €5,000 is imposed on the competitor.”

‘I’m really p***ed’ says Hamilton after Mexico Grand Prix Ferrari tussle

As per the regulations, all of the drivers are required to speak to both the broadcast and written media after the race, unless they finish inside the top three where they will attend the FIA press conference.

As such, Mercedes were penalised for their driver not completing their mandatory duties.

Following Russell’s sixth-place finish, the Briton now drops out of the top three of the drivers championship, dropping to fourth overall after Red Bull’s Max Verstappen took victory.

Verstappen now takes his place, jumping up two positions with Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton retaining his third-place in the championship, two points behind the Dutchman.

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Kamron Kent

Hi, I’m Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion.

I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I’ve loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.

Kamron Kent

Hi, I'm Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion. I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I've loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.