Mercedes Motorsports boss Toto Wolf praised George Russell as a “superstar” and repeatedly became part of the “future” of the Formula 1 team.
Russell had already marked himself as a potential champion as a teammate of Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton over the past three years, but he highlighted his potential further in 2025 after Hamilton set out for Ferrari.
With Rookie Kimmi Antoneri now on the other side of the garage, Russell went on to the role of team leader and won a fantastic victory at the Canadian Grand Prix with the highlights of his campaign.
Ahead of the season resumed at the Dutch Grand Prix this weekend, Britton is strong fourth in driver positions, with a drift of just 15 points by Red Bull four-time world champion Max Verstappen.
These performances have earned many praise from Wolf, who has been impressed by Russell’s incredible growth over the years.
“It’s great to see that. He developed wonderfully as a Williams Mercedes junior,” Wolf told Formula.hu.
“When he arrived at Mercedes, he was very fast and then developed alongside Lewis. Last year he was the fastest and now he’s completely seamlessly a lead driver.
“He’s really fast and exceeds the things a car can do over and over. You can see how much you can see when it’s difficult to drive a car.”
“For me, George is a superstar among the drivers I’m currently in.”
Russell’s Mercedes contract is expected to expire at the end of the 2025 season.
Consultations regarding the extension were pending while Wolf explored the possibility of seducing Verstappen from Red Bull.
That speculation finally ended on Hungary’s Grand Prix weekend. Verstappen confirmed his commitment to Milton Keynes, and Wolf said that both Russell and Antonelli will remain on the team next year.
And Wolf admitted that he had taken serious thoughts about signing Verstappen, but he emphasized that there was no doubt about Russell’s location at Mercedes for the next rule cycle.
“It was always clear that George was a part of our future, and he told him he knew that,” Wolf emphasized.
“But as you know, it’s a tough sport. Sometimes you have to open up your options and look closely at what the future is in the medium and long term. In this sport, you have to deal with the pressure.”
Wolff added that Russell can expect a new deal called “Soon” despite recent delays.