‘He never stops fighting’ – Wolff backs ‘killer’ Russell to recover from recent challenges

Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff is adamant that George Russell will be able to put his challenging weekend in Miami behind him, explaining that his “killer” instincts will see him compete for wins again sooner rather than later.

After dominating proceedings at the season opener in Australia, Russell dropped off the podium at the Miami Grand Prix, settling for a distant P4 at a circuit that he has openly admitted is far from his strongest on the calendar.

While Kimi Antonelli beat McLaren’s Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri to victory, the Briton found himself crossing the line 43s adrift after late passes on Max Verstappen and a limping Charles Leclerc helped him salvage more points.

Although he now finds himself 20 points behind his team mate in the Standings, Wolff appeared confident that the weekend was simply a blip in Russell’s season, one which he will rapidly recover from next time out in Canada.

“George is so experienced by now,” the team boss told Sky Sports F1 in Miami. “Throughout the weekend we talked, and this is a bit of a bogey track for him. That is absolutely understood. I think nothing will be in the back of our heads when we go to Montreal.

“George is a killer. What makes him so good is that he never stops fighting and attacking. I’ve seen him throughout a career in karting, junior formulae and here.

“He’s going for this – he’s not going to leave any stone unturned. I have no doubt that the two of them are going to fight for points throughout the season.”

Based on their results so far, this year could be Mercedes’ best chance to seal the Teams’ Championship for the first time since 2021, with Russell and Antonelli – who has converted all three of his pole positions into wins – both performing at a high level.

The prospect of an intra-team battle distracting the team from that mission does not faze Wolff, having dealt with notorious clashes between drivers like Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg in previous seasons.

He is instead revelling in having his racers consistently challenging for victories, explaining: “We’re still a bit bruised because we had 60, 80 weekends where that wasn’t the case in the past. Winning four races – it’s just so rewarding for everyone back at home.

“There’s so much stress in the organisation, so much pressure, but at the same time we showed resilience. We kept our mindset in the right place and that’s probably what makes me the most proud – not only what the drivers do, but what we do all together. The 2,500 people in Brixworth and Brackley have really kept going over those years.”