George Russell proposes F1 cost cap tweak for rookie crash damage

Confirming two rookie runs per car for the 2025 F1 season, George Russell has called on the FIA to make those exempt from the cost cap after Kimi Antonelli wrecked his W14 at Monza.

Antonelli, fulfilling one of Mercedes’ young driver outings for the 2024 season, was behind the wheel of Russell’s Mercedes for the opening practice session the Italian Grand Prix.

Should mandatory young driver runs be included in the cap?

Additional reporting by Elizabeth Blackstock

But while the Italian showed impressive pace to go quickest on his very first flying lap, he pushed too hard on his second and lost control of the car.

Losing the back end of the W14 through the high-speed Parabolica, the 18-year-old spun off into the gravel where he smashed into the barriers with an impact recorded at 52G.

Russell was forced to miss the opening minutes of FP2 as Mercedes worked to repair his car.

Antonelli recently admitted to Sky F1: “[Russell] was not very happy, but before going out at the Parabolica I was going strong.

“With George I have a good relationship, he did not give me much advice, but for now everything is fine.”

The 2025 Mercedes driver will be back in the car in FP1 in Mexico with Russell saying that while it is great the youngsters get the opportunity, perhaps their antics should be kept out of F1’s cost cap.

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“For FP1s, I think it’s great to give the opportunity to the youngsters, but maybe, you know, if there is any crash damage, it shouldn’t be within cost cap,” he told the media, including PlanetF1.com, in Austin.

“You know it’s we’re all right up close against the financial regulations. If a young driver were to damage the car, then that maybe should be separate.”

Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff admitted after Antonelli’s crash that his Monza shunt is most likely just his first in Formula 1.

“These moments, they will happen and they will continue to happen next year, but there will also be a lot of highlights,” he said.

“I think what we’ve seen today was we rather have a problem with slowing him down rather than making him faster, because from what we’ve seen from one and a half laps is astonishing.”

F1 regulations state that under Article 32.4 (c) of the Sporting Regulations each team must hand over a car on two separate occasions to allow a junior driver to take part in a Friday practice session. Usually, the teams opt to do this during first practice when the track is not at its most representative and, therefore, useful for the usual driver.

“On one (1) occasion during the Championship, for each car entered for the Championship, each Competitor must use a driver who has not participated in more than two (2) Championship races in their career,” states the rule.

“Each Competitor must advise the FIA in writing seven days prior to the start of the relevant Competition with the details of the driver that they will use.”

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