Why George Russell swore at Toto Wolff after ‘screaming’ radio message in Austria

George Russell wins the 2024 Austrian Grand Prix for Mercedes

George Russell was in the right place to capitalize on the Austrian Grand Prix spat between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris — so why did he respond to team boss Toto Wolff’s message by snapping “let me fucking drive”? 

As George Russell explains it, Wolff’s radio message came at just the wrong moment — and his Mercedes boss’ passion very nearly resulted in Russell losing his focus. While the British driver did go on to win the Austrian Grand Prix, Toto Wolff’s excitement very easily could have resulted in disaster.

Russell: ‘I almost crashed’

When Verstappen and Norris collided, both the Red Bull and the McLaren suffered enough damage that both had to report into the pits. In an instant, the tides had turned, and Wolff reacted immediately by hopping on the radio to tell Russell, “You can win this.”

Russell snapped back, “Let me fucking drive!”

In the post-race press conference, Russell clarified that his own response came down to the fact that he very nearly lost control of his Mercedes when he heard Wolff’s voice in his ear. The race, he said, had been a challenging one overall, and Wolff’s message nearly broke his concentration.

“It was very windy out there, and I think the car was feeling a little bit strange,” Russell explained.

“On my laps to grid, we checked everything, and everything was fine. But the pace felt strong.

“I had Lewis attack me early in the race, but then once I got back past him, I got a bit of a gap to Carlos. I knew Oscar was going to be quick, and he sort of came a little bit out of nowhere towards the end of the race on those hard tyres. For me it was pretty difficult.

“And then suddenly I had Toto screaming in my ear, ‘you can win this.’ And I almost crashed when he screamed into my ears. It was that loud.”

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That kind of sudden burst of noise would have shocked anyone, but it was perhaps especially frustrating for Russell,

Remember, earlier this year, Russell suffered a nasty crash while chasing down Fernando Alonso on the final lap of the 2024 Australian Grand Prix. And last year, in Singapore, Russell brushed the wall while battling his teammate for a podium position on the final lap; his race ended in the barriers.

The British racer certainly wouldn’t have wanted to repeat any of those incidents in Austria — and especially not because a sudden radio call from his boss resulted in a critical loss of concentration.

Thankfully, Russell’s snappy response was the worst of the result. He crossed the finish line in first, giving Mercedes a much-needed win.

“I think it just goes to show the passion that we all share,” Russell said in the press conference, referring to both Wolff’s loud message and his own curse in response.

“It’s obviously been a tough couple of years for us. It feels great to be back on the top step.”

Read next: Austrian GP conclusions: Verstappen vs Norris, Adrian Newey theory, valuable Russell lesson