George Russell claims he ‘almost crashed’ due to Toto Wolff’s loud radio message while leading Austrian GP

George Russell was caught off-guard by Toto Wolff's radio message during the Austrian GP.

George Russell claims he ‘almost crashed’ due to Toto Wolff’s loud radio message while leading Austrian GP

George Russell and Toto Wolff (via IMAGO)

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff admitted that the radio message to Austrian GP winner George Russell was one of the stupidest things he’s ever done. This radio message would have resulted in a crash involving Russell.

George Russell explained the intense moment when everyone including Toto Wolff saw the race falling in their favor. He mentioned that he was struggling with the hard tires, which made driving challenging. Then, unexpectedly, Wolff, excitedly shouted in his earpiece “George you can win, you can win this”. That sudden loud encouragement got Russell scared and he almost lost control of the car and was about to crash.

On those hard tires for me was pretty difficult. And then suddenly I had Toto screaming in my ear. 'You can win this!' I almost crashed when he screamed into my ears, it was that loud.
George Russell said, as reported by motorsport.com
YouTube video

George Russell was reflecting on the strong emotions everyone involved in Formula 1 feels. He mentioned that despite facing difficulties over the past few years, he and his team stayed persistent. Returning to the top position in a race felt incredibly satisfying for them. This showed how much dedication and love they have for the sport, even through tough times.

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But I think it just goes to show the passion that we all share. It's been a tough couple of years for us, so it feels great to be back on the top step.
George Russell stated

George Russell delighted to emerge victorious in Austria

George Russell expressed his excitement after winning, he stated the race was Incredible for him. Russell mentioned that early in the race, he and his team had to work hard to maintain their position in third place. He also observed an intense battle between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris. Despite this, the Briton’s team was not far behind them, trailing by just over 10 seconds. This showed that the 26-year-old’s car had good pace and it was performing well in terms of speed and capability. Russell was pleased with how competitive they were in the race.

Incredible! That's the only way I can describe it. We had a tough fight in the early stages to make sure we held on to P3.I could see that Max and Lando were having a big battle. We were only just over 10 seconds behind the pair of them, which is really encouraging pace-wise.
George Russell said
George Russell
George Russell (Via: Imago)

George Russell mentioned that he anticipated a small chance that Max Verstappen and Lando Norris might collide during their intense battle. He understood that in such situations, it’s crucial to stay in the race until end, as unexpected incidents can happen. Fortunately, Mercedes managed to stay competitive and capitalize on opportunity. The 26-year-old expressed pride in achieving first place on the podium again. He also highlighted the team’s effort in improving their performance and getting closer to the leading contenders.

You have to be there at the end to pick up the pieces and that's exactly where we were. I am so proud to be back on the top step of the podium. The team have done an amazing job to get us closer to the fight at the front.
George Russell added

Certainly, George Russell expressed his pride towards winning for the team afterall they all worked hard equally. Fans were very delighted to watch Russell win unexpectedly and hope for more such performances in the upcoming races.

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