After his stellar Chinese Grand Prix performance at the Shanghai International Circuit, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has praised George Russell. Hailing his driver as a “warrior,” Wolff stressed that the Briton was on his way to becoming the number one Formula One driver.
Russell started second in the race after splitting both McLaren drivers, pole sitter Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, who started third on the grid. However, Norris surpassed Russell in the opening lap, courtesy of the McLaren MCL39 F1 car’s dominant pace.
Russell held on to his position despite Max Verstappen gaining on him toward the end of the race. The Chinese GP marked Russell’s second podium of the season, leading Wolff to give him full points. He said:
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“George is a warrior in the car and outside of the car.
“I never give 10 out of 10 because I think there is always better. We haven’t seen the perfect race.
“But considering the circumstances that George had today, it is a 10 out of 10 because he extracted the maximum of this car, the tires, the strategy, and it was a brilliant drive.”
Wolff, however, did not hold back from complaining that Russell didn’t receive as much attention as the other top drivers. He said:
“Little was said of George.”
“I always said that that’s not right, because he’s one of the top drivers out there. If you want me to name three that I consider to be the top, he’s absolutely among those three, if not top two. And maybe on his way to top one.”
When asked about Russell’s long-term future with Mercedes, the team boss said:
“George is a Mercedes driver, so we love having in the team.
“He’s a junior driver and a Mercedes-grown talent. That’s something to be proud of, and this is where my consideration goes.”
Reflecting on his P3 finish, Russell was pleased with the result. He said:
“P3 was the maximum for us today. We can therefore be pleased with the result and getting our second podium in two races to start the season. I made a good start and tried to take the lead from Oscar (Piastri). It was unfortunate to not be able to make the pass, and then to lose out to Lando, but fair play to Oscar as he defended well. Overall, the McLarens were just a little bit too quick for us. As much as we want our race to be with them, at the moment it isn’t. We therefore have to be happy that we were best of the rest today.
“It has been a really positive start our season. We finished P3 in Melbourne, P4 in the Sprint yesterday, and P3 again today. We have been consistent, and the car has felt good. We will keep working hard to make it faster and hopefully we can close the gap to the very front.”
Russell is currently placed third in the drivers’ championship with 35 points, just one fewer than Verstappen in second place.