Wolff explains decision on Russell's tyre strategy in Spanish Grand Prix

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has backed the decision to bring George Russell into the pits twice during the Spanish Grand Prix after the strategy choice was questioned by the driver during the race.

The Briton made two stops during Sunday's event at the Madring on his way to a fifth-placed finish - firstly to change onto a new set of medium tyres during the Virtual Safety Car period and then again onto the hard tyre.

His team mate Kimi Antonelli executed a one-stop strategy, along with the majority of the other teams on the grid, and went on to win the race after Lando Norris lost out due to the timing of the VSC.

Russell was heard on the team radio asking his Race Engineer Marcus Dudley why they had decided to pit twice, saying he could have held off Norris who was behind him at that stage, before going on to finish fifth.

"He [Russell] said the tyres were not in a great shape, the mediums, we didn't think that they would go to the end," he said. "Then the pit opportunity was not to hang out and wait for a red [flag] but to change the tyres and get on with it."

The strategy appeared to have been discussed with Russell following the Grand Prix, who seemed content with the answer after the race whilst speaking to F1 TV.

"In the moment, I was questioning, but, you know, the hard tyre was the superior tyre," he acknowleged. "Maybe I could have stayed out with Leclerc, but I would have still finished behind him.

"Maybe I could have not pitted onto the hard again at the end. But everything I would have done brought us back to the same position, purely because you can’t overtake on this track, so that’s a shame."

In the same interview Russell appeared to rule himself out of winning the Drivers' Championship this season, after Antonelli's win saw him extend his standings lead to 81 points, but Wolff explained they'll work to help him with that mindset.

"You can have good races, bad races, good years and bad years, but we’re talking about a driver who has won everything he could have potentially won before," he said. "Karting championships, Formula 3 in his rookie year, Formula 2 in his rookie year, he went into Williams.

"We need to find out what it is for him to be able to unleash his potential."