“People Always Talked About Lewis”: Toto Wolff Lauds George Russell for Rising Out of Hamilton’s Shadow

With Lewis Hamilton leaving Mercedes after more than a decade last year, there were concerns about the future of the team and whether George Russell was ready to step up. The 27-year-old, though, has done so brilliantly by having his best start to a season this year, with a top-five finish in each of the first five Grands Prix.

Although Mercedes may not be as quick as reigning champions McLaren, Russell has managed to eke out every ounce of performance in the W16 during both qualifying and the race.

The Briton always had the talent to produce such performances, but he never really put together a streak of results that highlighted his brilliance, as he was always in Hamilton’s shadow.

Even when Russell outperformed Hamilton, he never got the deserved plaudits, as Max Verstappen’s triumphs and the seven-time champion’s struggles dominated the headlines. Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff also highlighted the same when asked about Russell’s outstanding start to the 2025 campaign by the Sky Sports F1 panel in Jeddah.

“He [Russell] is doing a top job. He was a little bit always, I wouldn’t say underrated, because he is such a stoic person. People talked about Lewis or talked about Max, and now you can see how he is delivering,” Wolff said.

Having trusted him with the responsibility of taking the lead driver’s mantle from the outgoing Hamilton in 2025, the Austrian boss isn’t surprised to see such a blistering start to Russell’s season. “I think he is performing in that car to the maximum. He’s doing really great,” he added.

The Silver Arrows haven’t been in top competitive shape ever since Russell joined them in 2022 at the start of the ground effect era. So, Russell never had quick enough machinery to showcase his talents. Still, whenever the Mercedes car was quick at certain circuits, the #63 driver ensured he secured pole position and race victories.

With Hamilton jumping ship to Ferrari now, Russell has the chance to properly climb out of the 40-year-old’s shadow and assert how good he can be. While Hamilton isn’t in a position to fight for the title at the Scuderia, Russell is keeping himself within touching distance, being just 26 points behind leader Oscar Piastri.

Russell showcased all his skillset in Bahrain two weeks ago when he managed to keep his car running despite suffering from a brake-by-wire failure, and other issues with the timing sensor and his steering wheel display going haywire. He ultimately kept his calm and crossed the chequered flag in P2, which was nothing short of commendable.

Wolff highlighted how, in such a scenario of a brake-by-wire failure, the pedal’s condition changes often, and the driver needs to adjust their steering accordingly, which Russell did quite well. “That means there’s so much cognitive power behind, and he is getting better and better and better”, the Austrian explained.

So, considering how well Russell is performing, he probably just needs Mercedes to bring in one major upgrade that can help them gain enough performance to challenge the two McLaren drivers, who seem to have been in a league of their own because of the MCL39’s superior pace.