George Russell believes Toto Wolff’s refusal to make sweeping personnel changes during the difficult ground effect era is a major factor behind Mercedes returning to the top of Formula 1.
Team Stability and Loyalty
The Brackley squad secured its ninth constructors championship at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix on Sunday, marking its first title since a run of eight consecutive championships ended in 2021. Mercedes endured four challenging seasons from 2022 to 2025 while attempting to master ground effect regulations.
Speaking to the media, Russell explained that the team maintained trust in its workforce despite the abrupt loss of competitive performance.
Describing the period, he said, “We have been through a lot over those years. It’s been extremely tough times. But I think something I admire a lot about Toto’s leadership is that the people we have today are the same people who were there during the glory years, and they’re the same people who went through the difficulties during 2022 to 2025. Nobody was hired or fired.”
He added, “Credit to everybody in the team, but huge credit to Toto for that loyalty and belief in the people, even when times were tough.”
Wolff on Culture and Resilience
Following the race at Interlagos, Wolff addressed team stability, agreeing that a lack of staff turnover played a key role.
Wolff stated that stability was “certainly a factor”, adding, “but we have also many people that have joined us recently, and I think what I would like to choose as a word is safety. You know, we are not a hire and fire organisation.”
He continued, “We provide a culture and an environment where you can thrive, where you’re allowed to make mistakes, where you can speak up. And over the long term, I believe if you want to be successful, not over a period of a few years, but over many, many decades, this is what you need to be able to kind of ingrain in the team.”
Wolff also noted that those difficult years felt much worse internally than the raw statistics indicated, even though the team managed to finish second in the championship during two of those seasons.
According to Wolff, “It wasn’t that bad at all when you look at the sheer numbers, but it felt not good. And the resilience of the team, the people that held together in those tough times, is a factor, I think.”
Russell, who joined the squad in 2022, experienced every step of the rebuilding phase. While his teammate Kimi Antonelli won the championship during the 2026 campaign, Russell currently sits third in the standings, trailing Max Verstappen by 17 points with three grands prix remaining.
Wolff emphasized on Sunday that the constructors crown belongs just as much to Russell, stating, “we owe it to him”.
