Toto Wolff blames W14’s balance issues for George Russell’s underwhelming 2023 season

George Russell is positioned P6 in the constructors’ standings trailing behind teammate Lewis Hamilton.

Toto Wolff and George Russell (Image credit: Essentially Sports)

Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff shares his bewilderment regarding the widening performance gap between Lewis Hamilton and George Russell this season. In contrast to their closely matched rivalry in 2022, a shift has become apparent. Since the Monaco upgrade to a conventional car concept, Hamilton has been steadily outpacing Russell. This is evident in their contrasting qualifying and race head-to-head statistics.

Toto Wolff commented on the cars’ delicate balance, noting the potential for confidence loss when tipping over. He highlighted the importance of grasping the car’s behavior, emphasizing the notable impact of staying within that understanding. The Austrian acknowledged that the car lacked a clear sweet spot but emphasized the significance of being in that zone.

“These cars are on the knife-edge, and you can quickly fall off it and lose the confidence,” Autosports quotes Wolff. “If you’re within that corridor of a sweet spot – although having said that, that car has no sweet spot – but being more in that zone of understanding what it will do next, I think there’s a big difference,” he concluded.

FS Video

Also read: Toto Wolff reveals major area of concern for Mercedes with the W14

George Russell faces an uphill battle with teammate Lewis Hamilton

George Russell and Lewis Hamilton (Image credit: Crash.net)

While several experts attribute Lewis Hamilton’s success to his adeptness with the new car, the extent of George Russell’s struggles baffles others. Russell’s performance significantly trails Hamilton’s, as evident from his sixth-place finish on race day.

Asked if his performance slump was related to upgrades, George Russell replied, “No, I don’t think so. I think it’s just in your rhythm.” He clarified the car felt like the season’s start, with minor changes unrelated to updates. He noted the fluctuation of confidence and its cascading impact. Faith affects performance, sometimes resulting in setbacks.

How does Lewis stack up against George in 2023 thus far? ?#F1 @MercedesAMGF1 pic.twitter.com/sOrU1vMays
— Formula 1 (@F1) August 7, 2023

“The car’s feeling pretty similar to what it did at the start of the year. Some small changes, but nothing to do with the updates. Just sometimes things are just going your way and you’ve got that confidence. Sometimes you just lose a bit of confidence, and it has a bit of a knock-on effect,” said George Russell.

After his initial three seasons with Williams, George Russell joined Mercedes in 2022. He garnered attention by outpacing teammate Lewis Hamilton in driver standings and securing the Silver Arrows’ lone victory that year. Regrettably, 2023 hasn’t favored Russell, presenting a more challenging season for him, resulting in a single podium finish.