Toto Wolff reveals unique Lewis Hamilton side-effect after George Russell signed new deal

Toto Wolff believes that George Russell was ‘underrated’ during his early years with Mercedes, explaining that the 27-year-old went under the radar in the shadow of seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton. This alleviated concerns about putting Kimi Antonelli in the car as an 18-year-old.

Russell joined Mercedes in 2022, replacing Valtteri Bottas after a three-year Formula One apprenticeship with Williams. Immediately, the Norfolk-born racer hit the ground running, scoring 15 top-five finishes in his first 16 starts for the Silver Arrows. He later notched his maiden Grand Prix victory in Brazil, finishing ahead of Hamilton in the standings.

Over the following two years, the duo went toe-to-toe in the intra-team battle, and Russell collected another two race wins in Austria and Las Vegas in 2024. Now, with Hamilton out of the picture, he is shining as Mercedes’ new team leader alongside star prodigy Antonelli.

"First of all, I think there was so much hype around Lewis leaving and an 18-year-old coming, and the risk that we were taking, but as a matter of fact, there was not so much risk because we had George,” Wolff said at the Autosport Business Exchange New York.

“And in a way, he was always underrated in all of those years, maybe because of his more introverted personality. And then obviously if your team-mate is Lewis Hamilton, you won't get a lot of, how can I say, percentage of eyeballs.

"I mean, if George would have bought into the fashion style of Lewis, maybe it would have given him more photos, but that's not how he is. So it was always good to know that we had George as one of the best drivers.

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“And then bringing Kimi on was a long-term plan. We knew that giving him one year in the current regulations would be tough. Because all of these drivers have driven those ground effect cars. The tyres are very tricky to understand, many race tracks that he hasn't been to, and then the enormous media pressure that comes up when you're an Italian.”

Both Russell and Antonelli signed new contracts with Mercedes ahead of the United States Grand Prix, bringing an end to a long-running saga that had been ongoing since before the summer break.

Russell’s new deal, which Express Sport understands to be a multi-year one, will earn him around £30million per year, making him the third-highest-paid athlete on the grid, only behind former team-mate Hamilton and reigning world champion Max Verstappen - a clear symbol of his status within the Mercedes organisation.