Wolff "couldn't wish for any better" than Hamilton Russell pairing

Mercedes

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Wolff "couldn't wish for any better" than Hamilton Russell pairing

Russell has performed well since stepping up

Ewan Gale

Monday 16 May 2022 05:00

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has insisted he "couldn't wish for any better pairing" than Lewis Hamilton and George Russell.

The seven-time champion was joined by Russell over the winter and the younger of the two Britons has so far excelled.

The former F2 champion is the only driver to have finished in the top five of each race this season despite a lack of overall pace from the W13.

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Russell's promotion to the Silver Arrows was the culmination of hard work and determination from both himself and Mercedes, after guiding its driver through the junior categories to reach F1.

But after five races, Russell is outscoring his more established team-mate by 59 points to 36, though Wolff is not surprised by his driver's level of performance.

"When you look at George's track record in winning the title in F3, in his rookie year, and then an F2, we knew that he was very good," explained Wolff.

"Then obviously the Williams school added its part, so we were never in any doubt that he would be very good.

"And you can see that it's materialising on the track. I like his approach very much. He's very rational, whether he is fastest in P2, or whether he's eleventh, it’s just about applying the science and trying to make the car faster."

Whilst the start of the season has not yielded the results expected by the team as the W13 struggles with porpoising and set-up issues, Wolff is impressed by the unity shown between his drivers in order to propel the team back towards the front.

"I enjoy seeing them working together, the level is high from both of them," he added.

"That has put us in a decent situation in the constructors’ championship, so I couldn't wish for any better pairing."

Additional reporting by Ian Parkes