“I think you’re making a wrong decision”– George Russell talks about rejection email to Toto Wolff and how Mercedes boss reacted

Tanish Chachra | 14/01/2022
"I think you’re making a wrong decision"– George Russell talks about rejection email to Toto Wolff and how Mercedes boss reacted

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.

“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.’”

Also read: Former Mercedes driver calls George Russell’s move to Silver Arrows a difficult decision as the risk is high

Post Edited By: Tanish Chachra
George Russell Mercedes

About the author

Tanish Chachra

Tanish Chachra is the Motorsport editor at The SportsRush. He saw his first race when F1 visited India in 2011, and since then, his romance with the sport has been seasonal until he took up this role in 2020. Reigniting F1's coverage on this site, Tanish has fallen in love with the sport all over again. He loves Kimi Raikkonen and sees a future world champion in Oscar Piastri. Away from us, he loves to snuggle inside his books.

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