Mercedes faced a challenging weekend in Mexico City, marked mainly by George Russell’s heavy crash on Friday, which was his second collision with the barriers in just over a week. Even though Russell faced a setback, he managed to recover and score points on Sunday, finishing in the top five alongside his teammate Lewis Hamilton. However, Toto Wolff, the team principal, acknowledged the rising issues as Mercedes approaches the Brazilian Grand Prix.

Russell’s crash in Mexico followed a recent incident in Austin, where Hamilton spun out and damaged his car after hitting the gravel; luckily, he managed to avoid the barriers. The team’s junior driver, Kimi Antonelli, also crashed in a high-speed turn at Monza.

The series of accidents has led to significant repair costs for Mercedes. Russell had to use a Silverstone-spec floor in Mexico after he damaged the upgraded version in Austin and then sustained further damage in Mexico. Under F1’s cost cap rules, Mercedes must cover these repair expenses within their set budget, which limits the funds available for further car development.

“Kimi’s crash in Monza, George’s crash in Austin, George’s crash here—I like drivers to push and see the car’s limits, but in ‘cost cap land,’ this puts us on the back foot,” Wolff said. “The incident we had recently was particularly costly; we had to switch to a completely new chassis, which is a huge hit under the cost cap.”

With the budget restrictions, Mercedes is now forced to scale back upgrades, bringing only two floors to Brazil with no further developments planned. This parts shortage could frustrate Mercedes not only this season but also in the upcoming season, as it will limit their data collection for next year. Additionally, their 2025 car is expected to evolve from this year’s design before the major redesign in 2026.

Despite these setbacks, both drivers were still able to deliver solid points, though Russell had to manage front wing damage during the race. Hamilton eventually overtook Russell after trailing for several laps—a move that caught the attention of many, given that Russell was on older tires and dealing with damage. Wolff later explained that Russell’s front wing was compromised when turbulence from overtaking Oscar Piastri caused one of the main front flaps to collapse, significantly reducing downforce.

“George drove excellently all weekend,” Wolff remarked. “But perhaps there’s something about the aero update package we haven’t fully understood yet, as we’ve had multiple crashes at similar corners, leaving the car on a knife’s edge.” Wolff stated that both drivers are free to race each other.

“Our drivers are skilled and experienced, so we allow racing between them. At no point did it feel too risky,” Wolff added. “We did, however, advise George at the end to allow Lewis through, given he had the faster car, though George’s defense on the straight was perhaps a bit late. But I fully trust both of them.”