When George Russell emerged from his cockpit, he couldn’t have anticipated the disqualification that followed. Though he was the rightful winner of the 2024 Belgian GP, an underweight car cost him valuable points. Typically, drivers have a win bonus in their contracts, so Toto Wolff would usually honor that winner. The hypothetical manager might argue, “Well, George did everything right to win that race,” despite the car’s weight issue. Should teams award the bonus if the results are overturned or only if they remain? What should Toto Wolff do in this situation?

F1 royalty Eddie Jordan shared his views on his podcast Formula For Success about awarding bonuses after a disqualification. He said, “There is no real right way and there’s no real wrong way on this one. And it comes down to compassion and it comes down to the relationship with the driver and the team.” Jordan added, “Toto is not a poor man. He’s very astute and very careful. [Toto] sees George as a world champion going forward, so why not pay him the money? If there’s a genuine mistake, which it looks as if it is. That’s what he said in his press release. Pay him the money, there is no doubt.”

Eddie Jordan’s revelations highlighted that Toto Wolff considers Russell the next world champion. His race in Spa looked like the spark of that great flame. Above all, Wolff was extremely happy with the Brit’s driving. Despite the debacle, we cannot deny the fact that George Russell was truly the ‘Tire Whisperer’ in Belgium. Keeping in mind how brilliant the 26-year-old was in the race, Wolff should pay the bonus.

Toto Wolff shall take lessons from the Belgian Grand Prix DSQ to make sure this never happens again

After Russell and Hamilton’s 1-2 finish in Spa-Francorchamps, Toto Wolff FaceTimed his wife, Susie. But of course, the joy didn’t last long. George was disqualified pushing Lewis Hamilton to P1, thus winning his 105th race. Before the summer break, things were not supposed to end this way. Russell’s win was a huge boost to the team’s morale. But the DSQ was equally disheartening.

Owning their fault, Toto Wolff released his statement. He said: “We have to take it on the chin. A mistake has happened and a one-two would have been a great result going into the summer break. We have to learn from that. As a team there were positives but for George, it is a massive blow for it to be taken away.” Wolff believes Russell will win more races in the upcoming days. The initial post-race had found the Brit’s W15 to be 1.5kg lighter. The stewards then reviewed this but did not rule in Mercedes‘ favor. Nonetheless, the Silver Arrows learned a massive lesson.

In time to come, this setback will be forgotten as Toto Wolff and his army are aiming for more glorious moments on the track this year. Meanwhile, Eddie Jordan’s analysis of George Russell’s bonus highlights the importance a race winner gets in his team. But, Wolff being a considerate leader of the pack would surely return the favors.

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