George Russell and Lewis Hamilton are having a tough time at Mercedes. While the pressure continues as usual this season, the German team is failing to live up to expectations.
George Russell and Lewis Hamilton are having a tough time at Mercedes. While the pressure continues as usual this season, the German team is failing to live up to expectations.
Toto Wolff has a lot of respect for the way his drivers are handling the situation, he said in a conversation with Formula1.com.
Russell seemed to need time to get into shape before the season, but nothing could be further from the truth. The talented driver, who transferred from Williams at the beginning of the year, has managed to finish in the top five every time in the first nine races.
It is a different story with Hamilton. The seven-time world champion's performance has been mixed, with a third-place finish in Bahrain and Canada as highlights. Wolff makes it clear that Hamilton has a very important role to play behind the scenes.
"I can say that within the team, (Lewis) has always been very positive in his mentality," said Wolff, who sees that Russell and Hamilton fit together well. "How the two of them work together is really amazing; in the briefings, they keep asking each other questions. I think it will be different if you run at the front."
Wolff is convinced that Hamilton could have been on the podium more often if he didn't have to deal with bad luck so often. The Safety Car would have hindered him on several occasions. The gap between Hamilton and Russell is 34 points after nine of 22 rounds.