George Russell given new nickname by Toto Wolff after beating Lewis Hamilton at Belgian GP
Toto Wolff spoke to George Russell immediately after winning the Belgian Grand Prix.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff spoke to George Russell over the radio as the pair celebrated his second race win of the season at the Belgian Grand Prix, handing his driver a new nickname.
Against all odds, Russell was the only driver on the grid to have a successful one-stop outing, managing to hold off his team-mate Lewis Hamilton who took home second in a strong day for the Silver Arrows.
Russell shouted in celebration over the airwaves as he praised the team's "amazing strategy" before Wolff hit back by giving the driver a new nickname, dubbing him the "tyre whisperer".
Related articles
Russell orchestrated a masterful win when Hamilton, on much fresher tyres, was expected to overtake his fellow Brit as they both were allowed to race for top spot with five laps remaining.
And Wolff was among many who were overjoyed for the 26-year-old, albeit with some disappointment for Hamilton. "He (Russell) was very good all of today but then when you look at the pace, Lewis was very good today," Wolff said. "So I think they both did a fabulous job. The strategy played for George and not for Lewis, and as I said, I’d like to have two winners today.
"I’d like to have two winners today but we had to cover (Charles) Leclerc and (Lando) Norris, because we would have been undercut, and that was the call. George had nothing to lose. We were P5, the one-stop and the two-stop were showing P5, so we kept him out."
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. Read our Privacy Policy
Russell even surprised himself at how well he was able to manage the tyres, admitting: "Amazing result! Definitely didn't predict this win this morning in our strategy meeting. The car was feeling awesome. We made a lot of changes from Friday night and the tyres felt great. I kept saying 'I think we could do a one-stop'.
"The strategy did a great job. Well done to Lewis. He really controlled that race. If the circumstances were different, I'm sure he would have got the victory. One-two for the team is awesome."
The decision to go against the grain and try his chances with a one-stop was not pre-planned and Wolff's 'tyre whisperer' could not even remember who gave the direction to try and last out for the remainder of the race.
When asked who the architect behind the strategy was, Russell replied: "I was focusing a lot during the race. I will have to listen back to the radio comms!
"It was a team effort. We rolled the dice but it was only possible because the car felt great and the pace was there. A one-two is a great result."
