Totowolf declared George Russell was the “more powerful driver” for Mercedes in Lewis Hamilton’s final season with the team.
Last year, Russell defeated Hamilton comprehensively in the full season qualifying season 19-5, defeating the seven-time world champion in the championship for the first time in three years.
Wolff has publicly admitted that Russell was a better driver in Hamilton’s final year at Mercedes after saying he left for the team in 2025 to complete the blockbuster switch to rival Ferrari.
Wolff’s eye-opening statement arrived in a video titled “Midseason Report” shared with registered Mercedes fans.
“If you look at George, the developments he’s made since he joined F1 from Williams’ Fast Kiddo was clearly drafted by Mercedes along with all the greats and Lewis Hamilton,” Wolff said.
“And last year he’s already started to get really strong at a pure pace. He’s a more powerful driver in terms of results. And now, since Lewis went to Ferrari, he took a slot for the senior driver.
“He’s got the car out of the car even if it’s not on a level and you can always count on George. And he’s also good at his partner and has a lot of activities that will help him build his brand and build his brand.
“So I couldn’t want a better number one driver.”
Hamilton and Russell each won two wins last season, but Hamilton’s second victory in Belgium came after he finished behind a teammate who was later disqualified from the final classification.
Russell was sixth in the 2024 driver’s ranking with 245 points, with 22 being managed over seventh place Hamilton.
Relaxed Russell has not yet signed a new Mercedes deal
Russell has made it clear that he will not sign an extension of his new Mercedes contract during the summer holidays.
Britton, 27, appears to be staying at Mercedes after Max Verstappen, who was courted by the Silver Arrow, confirmed to be staying at Red Bull in 2026.
Russell claims he has “nothing to worry about” about his future, and wants to turn off completely from Formula 1 during his precious three-week break.
“To be honest, I just want to rest and recharge, and I want to go back strong later this year, so nothing will happen,” Russell told Sky Sports F1 on Sunday in the Hungarian League Rampuri.
“But even now, there is no pressure on time, so that happens when it happens.
“I’m 27 now. I’ve been with the team for four years. Next year will be my fifth year. We want to build a relationship together, but that’s the right thing and I don’t want to hurry up with it.
“I’ve been waiting 12 months. I’m not going to hurry in between two weeks, so when it takes longer I’ll sit.”
Wolff told media including Budapest’s Crash.Net that Russell has “good cards” to play in negotiations given his strong form.
“He’s been on delivery since 2018 and there was no season when he wasn’t there,” Wolf said. “Nothing has changed in our thinking next year, so just because we don’t talk outside doesn’t mean things aren’t progressing like they should be internally.
“When it comes to contracts, let’s take a look. We’ll come out and see what terms we proposed, but he showed it today because he’s definitely strong in his team.”