Peter Windsor criticises ‘pathetic’ Toto Wolff’s lack of F1 understanding after George Russell call

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The role of a Formula 1 team principal comes with a serious amount of pressure but Toto Wolff has thrived in his position for much of his time at Mercedes.

Toto Wolff tends to be seen in the garage during every Grand Prix rather than on the pit wall like other team bosses and has provided TV cameras with plenty of golden moments throughout his time with Mercedes as he reacted to the highs and lows of F1.

However, the last few seasons have been challenging for Mercedes and nothing could sum that up better than Lewis Hamilton deciding to end his Formula 1 career away from the team that have provided him with six world championships.

Instead, Hamilton will be driving in red overalls in 2025 with Ferrari and that’s likely to make George Russell the team’s leader.

Kimi Antonelli is expected to be Russell’s Mercedes teammate unless Wolff’s efforts to attract Max Verstappen to the team finally pay off which looks increasingly unlikely.

Speaking on the Cameron F1 YouTube channel, Peter Windsor was analysing Wolff’s role as Mercedes team principal this season.

He pinpointed one moment in the season that left him seriously questioning his decision making and it related to how Russell was managed at the Hungarian Grand Prix.

Russell was knocked out in Q1 in changeable conditions and only recovered to score a handful of points in Sunday’s race.

Windsor believes that Wolff should have taken charge and never let the Brit go out without enough fuel to complete the session when track conditions were so changeable.

READ MORE: Mercedes driver George Russell’s life outside F1 from net worth to height

Peter Windsor criticises Toto Wolff for management of George Russell at the Hungarian GP

Talking about the incident, Windsor said: “What I find very odd is that George Russell can in any way be criticised for what happened in Hungary.

“That to me shows Toto Wolff’s lack of understanding of Formula 1 because if he allowed George Russell’s team to send him out in a Q1 when nobody knew exactly what was going to happen to the track conditions, they were maybe going to go a bit wetter, maybe a bit drier, what traffic was going to be like.

“Whenever you’re in that situation, you always put enough fuel in the car in case the guy does want to do every lap because you never know what the weather conditions are going to be.

“To cut it as fine in changing weather track conditions is…that’s not even Formula Ford stuff, it’s pathetic.

“That’s as bad as Williams not taking a spare chassis to the Australian Grand Prix, I’m sorry that’s just pathetic management.

“To blame the driver for that is ridiculous.”

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Mercedes AMG F1 Team from team principal to lineage

Toto Wolff criticised for not signing Adrian Newey from Red Bull

Windsor has been one of Wolff’s harshest critics recently and thinks the Mercedes boss should be doing better despite their recent upturn in the form.

Adrian Newey’s next destination on the grid appears to be Aston Martin although nothing is set to be confirmed until at least September.

He could have had his choice of any team on the grid although Newey’s never been someone to shy away from a challenge.

Windsor thinks Wolff should have pushed to sign Newey to improve Mercedes’s chances heading into the next set of regulations.

There are high hopes for the Mercedes power unit which means they’ve got to develop a better car than Williams and an impressive McLaren outfit which might be easier said than done before even considering what Ferrari and Red Bull will do with their new engines.

The next 18 months are set to be thrilling in Formula 1 with Russell potentially about to play a much bigger role at the front of the grid once Hamilton departs.

He needs the full support of Wolff and senior Mercedes management, although they’re having trouble hiding their excitement about Antonelli and a potential partnership with Verstappen.