George Russell’s raw pace and grit are forcing F1 insiders to rethink the true pecking order among the sport’s elite drivers.
Toto Wolff isn’t holding back his praise for George Russell. The Mercedes team principal believes Russell is not only underrated but firmly among the top three drivers on the Formula 1 grid — and possibly even higher.
Speaking amid renewed speculation around Max Verstappen’s future and potential quiet negotiations behind the scenes, Wolff took a moment to spotlight his own driver.
“As I said on Sunday after the race, I never give a 10 out of 10 — there’s always room for more. But given everything George went through in China, this was as close to perfect as it gets,” Wolff said. “He got absolutely everything out of the car, out of the tyres, out of the strategy — and he drove brilliantly.”
While much of the F1 spotlight has been on Lewis Hamilton’s move to Ferrari or Verstappen’s uncertain future, Wolff feels Russell’s performances are flying too far under the radar.
Russell Deserves More F1 Respect
“All this talk about Max, about Lewis – two of the sport’s biggest names – and then the hype around young talents like Kimi, who’s incredibly promising… yet there’s so little said about George,” Wolff pointed out. “I’ve always said it’s unfair. He’s one of the best out there.”
“If you asked me to name the top three drivers on the grid today, George is 100% in that group. Honestly, he might even be top two — and maybe, just maybe, he’s on track to be number one. George is a warrior. In the car and outside of it.”
Russell recently made headlines with a bold statement suggesting McLaren was so far ahead they could already start focusing on 2026. Wolff, while seeing progress in China, understood where his driver was coming from.
“He’s rattling the cage a bit — and after Melbourne, it wasn’t an unreasonable take,” Wolff admitted. “In China, the gap was smaller, but we need a few more races to really understand where everyone stands. On Saturday it looked like Ferrari was back in full force, and on Sunday, they underdelivered.”
“The key now is to avoid swinging from overconfidence to doom overnight. Let’s get a few races in, build a baseline, and go from there.”
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Russell Proving He’s F1’s Most Underrated Warrior
Russell Proving He’s F1’s Most Underrated Warrior
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