Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff firmly believes that George Russell “has the potential” to step up and assumer the team leader role when Lewis Hamilton departs the Brackley squad at the end of the year.
Formula 1’s landscape shifted dramatically last week with the stunning announcement that Hamilton will move to Ferrari for 2025.
This unforeseen turn of events throws open the question of who will fill the shoes of the legendary driver within the Silver Arrows team.
But Wolff must also address the issue of whether Russell can effectively step up and lead the Mercedes team.
Despite a difficult campaign in 2023, the 25-year-old Briton was always viewed as the future inheritor of the top spot at Mercedes, but Hamilton's departure has obviously accelerated that timeline.
“Also of course with all the Lewis discussion something that has not been talked enough is George,” commented Wolff last week.
“George has the potential to be the next lead driver in the team, he’s of the generation of Lando [Norris] and [Charles] Leclerc and some of the others.
And I couldn’t wish for a new team leader when Lewis leaves, no doubt about that, so we have such a solid foundation such a quick and talented and intelligent guy in the car that we just need to take the right choice for the second driver, the second seat.
“That’s not something I want to be rushed in,” he added.
“Having George in the seat is great for the team. He’s been going toe to toe with Lewis the last two seasons.
“There was nothing between them and knowing that we have a driver at that level makes the decision for the second seat much more comfortable.”
Wolff admitted that Norris and Leclerc’s recent signings with their respective teams have deprived Mercedes of two significant hiring potentialities.
“It’s an exciting situation at the end of 2024 with some drivers becoming available, others just signed a few weeks ago so these ones would have been opportunities,” he said.
“If it was six weeks earlier, there would have been more opportunities, but it is what it is.
“But in 2025 and beyond, the driver market is very interesting and we need to look out to the future. Who is it that we can partner with George? What’s the best combo? What’s the best combination? “And I think in terms of the drivers who could hopefully join, that could join, there are a variety of options.”
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