Russell surprised by Wolff's technical knowledge at Mercedes

George Russell says he's been surprised by Toto Wolff's technical knowledge at Mercedes and by the depth of the latter's involvement in the team's technical meetings.

As a protégé of Mercedes since 2017, Russell was obviously well acquainted with Wolff when he joined the championship winning F1 team on a full-time basis at the start of this year.

But in recent months, Russell has witnessed Wolff's day-to-day involvement with his team and the 24-year-old has come to appreciate his boss's qualities and leadership skills, but also his vast technical knowledge.

"It's been really intriguing for me to see how Toto is involved on the technical front," Russell said, speaking on a recent Beyond the Grid podcast.

"Firstly, I never quite knew how good his technical knowledge was, but now he is fully involved in all of these technical meetings. He's really trying to push the whole team and he's a racer at heart.

"I think having a leader who is not only as inspiring as he is and motivating, everybody is clear what a great leader Toto is.

"He also understands the technical side of things and can look at things a bit more rationally, maybe from afar, but actually asking the right questions – it goes a long way."

• Read also: Russell won't 'copy' Hamilton to become the best in F1

But last winter, Russell was also introduced to Wolff's skills behind the wheel. A former racer in his own right, the Austrian achieved in his 30s some success in GT racing, but not enough to convince him to press on as a driver.

"We did an ice driving event at the start of this year in Austria, with a load of sponsors," recalled Russell. "The day finished at six o'clock, and Toto and I stayed until nine.

"It was pitch black, but we had lights on this little rally car. He was doing some laps, I was a passenger, and I have my iPhone out on the stopwatch, and then vice versa.

"To be honest, I was pretty surprised at the commitment and pace he was showing.

"He probably went off a few more times than I did, but the pace was pretty strong. So, I'm learning new stuff about him."

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