Toto Wolff disregards Russell-Hamilton comparison as press hype: “These are background noises that are played over the press”

Toto Wolff disregards Russell-Hamilton comparison as press hype: “These are background noises that are played over the press”

Lewis Hamilton, George Russell and Toto Wolff

Toto Wolff has been with Mercedes for the longest time and seen the team grown into a well oiled machinery but hasn’t had to face a time of crisis like the current season. Mercedes has always been head and shoulders above the rest of the teams when it comes to the development of their challenger, which in turn has made the job of the drivers easier on the track.

Contradictory to expectations, they have lagged behind when it comes to developing a challenging car this year around. We expected a shake up in the power dynamics of F1 after the massive overhaul in regulations but we never thought of a period of slump for Mercedes in their wildest imagination. The only silver lining for the German manufacturers has been the form of George Russell.

But that has also in turn put the performances of the seven time world champion, Lewis Hamilton, under the scanner. The Mercedes superstar has been struggling to fire up that W-13 and match the quality of his team mate’s performances, who has been able to get so much more out of that W-13 despite the issues with porpoising. This has led to the comparison between the duo.

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Toto Wolff dismisses any sort of speculation of comparison between George Russell and Lewis Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton, George Russell and Toto Wolff
Lewis Hamilton, George Russell and Toto Wolff

But, Toto Wolff has come out and dismissed any sort of speculations of comparison between the two. He said, “In the team I don’t notice anything at all. These are background noises that are played over the press. Lewis and George push each other.”

“I hardly follow it. And if I overhear one or two remarks, then I can only smile about it. George is doing a good job, but that’s exactly what we expected from him, that’s why he’s at Mercedes.”

“We’ve only got the fifth race behind us, so you can’t write anything off, it can swing in our direction again. And in terms of points, we’re not far behind.“

Toto Wolff and Mercedes have their work cut out if they want to help Lewis Hamilton reach the levels of his team mate. There might not be any comparison but we all know that Lewis Hamilton will be livid with the fact that he’s coming up second in this battle.

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