Wolff surprised at Hamilton and Russell working together: 'Astonishing'
F1 News
- GPblog.com
George Russell and Lewis Hamilton are having a tough time at Mercedes. While the pressure is on, as usual, this season, the German formation does not manage to live up to the expectations. Toto Wolff has a lot of respect for the way his drivers are dealing with the situation, he said in conversation with Formula1.com.
Russell seemed to need time to get into shape prior to the season, but nothing could be further from the truth. The talented driver, who transferred from Williams at the start of the calendar year, managed to finish in the top five every time in the first nine races.
That is a different story with Hamilton. The seven-time world champion's performance was mixed, with a third place in Bahrain and two podiums in Canada. Wolff makes it clear that Hamilton has a very important role to play behind the scenes.
"I can say that within the team, [Lewis] was always very positive in his mindset," stated Wolff, who sees that Russell and Hamilton fit well together. "How the two work together is really astonishing; in the briefings they keep asking each other questions. I guess it’s going to be different if you race at the very front."
Wolff on Hamilton's podium finish
Wolff is convinced that Hamilton could have been on the podium more often if he did not have to deal with bad luck so often. The safety car would have put a spanner in the works for him on a number of occasions. The difference between Hamilton and Russell was 34 points.