George Russell opens up on close Toto Wolff bond amid Mercedes F1 title fight

George Russell has opened up about his relationship with Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff, reflecting on a 12-year journey that recently culminated in his 100th grand prix start for the Brackley outfit.

Russell became a member of the Mercedes Junior Team in 2017 and signed for the Williams Formula 1 team in 2019. He stood in for seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes at the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix. Over his career, he has claimed six grand prix victories, 27 podium finishes, 10 pole positions and 11 fastest laps.

Now 28 and firmly in the 2026 championship hunt, Russell explained that his connection with the team chief has become stronger through the outfit’s ups and downs.

“It’s been 12 years now that we’ve known one another,” the Briton explained to F1.com. “We’ve become so close, especially the most recent years. We’re together most days when we’re back home. Carmen [Russell’s partner] and I have such a close relationship with Susie and Toto.

“We’ve been through the highs and the lows, starting in the years when I was at Williams, trying to get into Mercedes, then four years of relative failure for us, not fighting for a championship… To arrive in Melbourne [this season], to get the 1-2 with Kimi, it was like, ‘We’re back’.

“Even though these recent races for me have been really tough, I spoke about it with Toto, just thinking about what we’ve endured these last four years, and how much we’ve fought to bring Mercedes back on top. It makes me really proud.”

Russell currently sits third in the drivers’ championship with 106 points after the first seven rounds of the 2026 season. His team-mate Kimi Antonelli leads with 156 points, and Hamilton is second with 115 points. 

Round 8 is the Austrian Grand Prix from 26-28 June.

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