George Russell is the product of the Mercedes drivers’ programme, but he rejected them before joining it in 2015, and Toto Wolff wasn’t happy.
George Russell is a star in the making. Even in the worst F1 car on the grid, he showed moments of brilliance. That earned him a move to Mercedes’ f1 team for 2022.
The Briton is a product of the Mercedes drivers’ development programme. Everyone is aware how Russell in 2017 even gave them a presentation to persuade the bosses at Mercedes to enrol him in their programme.
But long before Mercedes came knocking on his door, and at that time, Russell didn’t think it was wise to join them. So, he wrote them a rejection letter, which according to Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff wasn’t a good decision.
“I was already having conversations with Toto and Mercedes before joining Carlin and Volkswagen,” he told Motorsport Magazine. “I actually had a deal on the table to have almost the same backing from Mercedes as I had from Volkswagen.
“But because there wasn’t an opportunity open at PREMA, the next team I would have had to join would be a German team called Mücke Motorsport, who I felt for my first season F3 wouldn’t be as well suited to me as a British team in Carlin.”
“So after my meeting with Toto at the start of 2015, I sent him an email just to say, ‘I really appreciate the meeting and thanks for all of your advice etc.”
“Just to let you know, I’ll actually be joining Carlin and Volkswagen as opposed to Mücke Motorsport and Mercedes because I believe it’s better for my career.’”
Also read: George Russell agrees Alex Albon played pivotal role in making his F1 career
George Russell planned to convince Mercedes at some point in time
After rejecting a good offer from Mercedes, he thought he would need to reach to them at some stage. He knew that Mercedes was a team to be with, as by then, they were already on their way to secure their second consecutive title.
New uniform. 👌 pic.twitter.com/mudFGscZi6
— George Russell (@GeorgeRussell63) January 10, 2022
“I had the opinion that if I went out and did a good job, Mercedes would still be interested. So he replied back, ‘I think you’re making a wrong decision but let’s stay in touch and let’s see where we go from there.’”
