Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff believes that George Russell is struggling because of a difficult operating window for their Formula 1 car. Wolff stated that an update introduced ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia widened the gap between Russell and his teammate, but maintains that Russell remains a potential champion.
Mercedes Investigating Performance Gaps
According to Wolff, the recent car update remains difficult to operate. While teammate Kimi Antonelli managed to adapt to it, Russell has faced greater challenges finding the right setup.
“I think the update we put on the car is still difficult to operate, and [Kimi] landed it,” said Wolff as reported by Latest F1 News.
The team plans to retrace every decision made regarding the setup, correlating the lack of performance on Friday with the relative outperformance on Saturday and Sunday. Wolff noted that the positive aspect is that the car functions properly, meaning the immediate task is to widen its operational window.
Belief in Russell’s Championship Potential
Wolff offered strong backing for Russell, affirming his status among the top drivers on the grid. He emphasized that Russell’s recent variability in results stems from the car’s behavior rather than a drop in driving capability.
“George, for all of us in the team, is a champion, and has won in every category, and I think he merits to be put in the group of the very best ones, and we’ve seen that last year and this year,” Wolff stated.
Wolff explained that when the car setup aligns with Russell’s preferences, his speed is undeniable. However, when the vehicle drops out of that specific operational window, his struggles exceed those of his teammate.
The team principal took responsibility for the performance discrepancies, noting that Mercedes must collaborate with Russell to resolve the issue. He stressed that Russell’s pace deficit to Antonelli at times does not reflect his true abilities.
“And that is on us. We just have to work it out with him, how there can be such a difference in performance, because George is not half a second slower, three-tenths slower than Kimi. It’s just absolutely not the case,” Wolff added.
