Wolff reveals he hit Raikkonen over Russell insult

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has confessed to slapping a former Formula 1 champion following an incident at the 2018 FIA end-of-season prize giving gala.

The Austrian revealed the story at Silverstone during an interview with Austrian broadcaster ORF, while his current lead driver George Russell was lingering in the background.

"Should I tell them the Raikkonen story?" Wolff asked Russell mid-interview.

Russell, who had just been crowned Formula 2 champion at the time of the 2018 event, laughed and replied: "It's up to you. It doesn't affect me."

Wolff then launched into what he called a "slightly embarrassing story", switching to German to explain the details.

He recalled how he had grown up in "somewhat harsh circumstances", learning early on to physically stand his ground when necessary.

“We were at the FIA awards in 2018,” Wolff explained. “One of the F1 drivers insulted George about how he had won the F2 championship. So I had to slap him. That was the end of it.”

Kimi Raikkonen famously turned up to the FIA gala seven years ago visibly drunk and amused much of the crowd with his antics on stage, but behind the scenes, Wolff clearly didn’t find the moment so funny, especially when it came to his young driver being publicly mocked.

"Absolutely,” Wolff said when asked if he’d do it again. “I give my team and my family everything I have, and if necessary, I will defend them and keep them safe."