George Russell issues emotional Toto Wolff statement amid Mercedes struggles

Mercedes

George Russell issues emotional Toto Wolff statement amid Mercedes struggles

George Russell is hoping to still challenge for the title

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Monday 22 June 2026 18:58

Mercedes F1 star George Russell has spoken of the importance of looking back on how far he and the team have come since 2022, rather than focusing on his last few performances.

Russell is currently involved in a three-way title battle, up against his team-mate Kimi Antonelli and Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton.

But so far, Russell's form has not been good. Heading into the season as the firm favourite for the drivers' championship, Russell has only managed one grand prix victory from the opening seven race weekends, as well as two further podiums.

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That's fewer podiums than his former team-mate Lewis Hamilton, who is driving a lesser car this year, while Antonelli has soared ahead having claimed five grand prix victories in the same car as Russell.

It means that the Brit is now third in the drivers' championship, nine points behind Hamilton and 50 behind Antonelli.

But despite that, Russell is proud of how far he and his team have come since he joined in 2022, when Mercedes only won one grand prix all season.

Russell and Toto Wolff's 'close relationship'

Russell celebrated his 100th grand prix as a Mercedes driver at the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, and as part of that, he looked back on his entire career with the Brackley-based outfit.

"It’s been 12 years now that we’ve known one another," Russell explained to F1.com. "We’ve become so close, especially the most recent years. We’re together most days when we’re back home. Carmen [Russell’s partner] and I have such a close relationship with Susie and Toto.

"We’ve been through the highs and the lows, starting in the years when I was at Williams, trying to get into Mercedes, then four years of relative failure for us, not fighting for a championship… To arrive in Melbourne, to get the one-two with Kimi, it was like, ‘We’re back’.

"Even though these recent races for me have been really tough, I spoke about it with Toto, just thinking about what we’ve endured these last four years, and how much we’ve fought to bring Mercedes back on top. It makes me really proud."

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F1 Mercedes George Russell Toto Wolff