Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff says he never had any doubts over how George Russell would perform at the team.
After spending three seasons in F1 with Williams, Russell moved to Mercedes in 2022, having been associated with the team for several years as a junior driver.
Russell has enjoyed a strong start to the 2022 campaign, scoring top five finishes across the opening five rounds of the season.
The Briton currently sits fourth in the Drivers’ Championship, 23 points ahead of team-mate Lewis Hamilton, who has endured difficulties at the start of the new season.
Wolff says that having spent many years in partnership with Russell, he never doubted that the 24-year-old would perform strongly at the team.
“When you look at George’s track record in winning the title in F3, in his rookie year, and then an F2, we knew that he was very good,” Wolff said.
“And then obviously the Williams school added its part, so we were never in any doubt that he would that he would be very good.”
Wolff also commended Russell for how he approaches and deals with the pressures of a grand prix weekend.
“You can see that it’s materialising on the track. I like his approach very much,” Wolff said.
“He’s very rational, whether he is fastest in P2, or whether he’s 11th, it’s just about applying the science and trying to make the car faster.
“I enjoy seeing them Hamilton and Russell] working together, the level is high from both of them.
“And that has put us in a decent situation in the Constructors’ Championship, so I couldn’t wish for any better pairing.”
