Toto Wolff's comments about George Russell speak volumes after Eddie Jordan doubt
While George Russell's stellar driving saw him clinch victory at the Belgian Grand Prix, a mandatory weight check for his car eventually saw him disqualified.
Toto Wolff has placed his faith in George Russell becoming the leading driver for Mercedes, despite Eddie Jordan's clear doubts. The former F1 team owner has claimed that Russell leading the future for Mercedes may not be enough to satisfy fans once Lewis Hamilton leaves for Ferrari in 2025.
Hamilton announced he would be joining Ferrari after the 2024 season is over, and off the back of that decision, it is set to see Russell take the top spot as Mercedes' main racer. However, Jordan doesn't feel that the 26-year-old will soften the blow of finally losing Hamilton.
Speaking on the Formula for Success podcast, the 76-year-old said: "Let’s be honest, George Russell has won one grand prix. Do I think he can be a World Champion next year or the year after? I just think that Lewis had too much on him. When Lewis didn’t quite have the car that he wanted at the beginning of the year, George was able to drive around that. Lewis didn’t bother because… not that he didn’t bother, but he just didn’t feel that the car was good enough to be able to do the job.
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"But, nevertheless, as the season progressed, Lewis got his mojo together. And he made us all look up and say, ‘Hmm, maybe Lewis still has it.’ And I think that because of the change in fortune, that’s why he went to Ferrari."
However, Mercedes boss Wolff has professed his complete confidence in Russell's ability and talent to lead the team to Championship victory once more, as he praised the young driver's potential immediately after Hamilton's Ferrari announcement.
Wolff said: "With all the Lewis discussion, something that has not been talked about enough is George. George has the potential to be the next lead driver in the team. He is of the generation of Lando [Norris] and [Charles] Leclerc and some of the others.
"I couldn’t wish for a new team leader when Lewis leaves, no doubt about that. We have such a solid foundation, such a quick, talented, and intelligent guy in the car that we just need to take the right choice for the second driver, the second seat."
Wolff also noted that he doesn't feel the need to be "rushed" into signing Russell's team-mate, and hinted that "maybe it's a chance to do something bold".
Russell looked to have won his third career race on Sunday after holding off team-mate Hamilton to cross the line first at the Belgian Grand Prix. However, following a post-race check, the Mercedes car was found to be 1.5kg under the weight permitted in the rulebook after the obligatory drainage of remaining fuel.
This was then referred to the FIA stewards who confirmed an hour after the race ended that Russell had been disqualified from the race classification. This meant that Hamilton claimed his 105th F1 win instead, with McLaren's Oscar Piastri therefore coming second and Ferrari's Charles Leclerc making up the podium in third.
