George Russell is in one of the best cars of the 2023 Formula 1 season, but only finishes eighth in the championship and also loses the team duel against Lewis Hamilton. Does that mean Mercedes thinks differently about him than before?
Because in 2022, in his first year as a Mercedes driver, Russell presented himself very differently against Hamilton and inflicted only the third team duel defeat on the seven-time Formula 1 world champion. Previously, Hamilton had only lost to Jenson Button (2011) and Nico Rosberg (2016), but otherwise always performed better than his respective stablemate.
In an interview with the “Telegraph”, Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff now says that Russell “absolutely met expectations” in the 2023 season and will not be counted. On the contrary: “George is our future,” assures Wolff.
His reasoning: “If I look at the young men among the current Formula 1 drivers, then he is the one I want in the car.” But Wolff doesn’t get any more specific at this point.
Wolff continues to believe in Hamilton’s possible eighth title
The Mercedes team boss is all the more clear about whether Hamilton could succeed in having the World Championship record in Formula 1 for himself by winning the eighth title. “The answer is clearly yes, but in capital letters,” says Wolff.
“There is a reason why Lewis is a seven-time Formula 1 world champion. He has broken all the records. His skills are on a completely different level.”
“If we manage to give him a car that he can feel, that he can trust, then he will get back to the level he needs to win the championship,” says Wolff.
Age doesn’t matter according to Wolff
The fact that Hamilton, at 39, is the second oldest driver in the field after Fernando Alonso (42) doesn’t matter, the Mercedes team boss continued: “39 is not an age.”
The most important thing is self-confidence: “You always have to believe that it is possible. You can’t go into the season with the attitude that it won’t work anyway,” says Wolff.
“We saw at McLaren how big a step can be taken with just one update. So yes, I think it’s possible.”
In the current contract situation, Hamilton still has two chances: Both he and Russell have extended their contracts with Mercedes by two years up to and including 2025. What happens after that is still unclear.