Formula 1 | Wolff: Hamilton and Russell don’t get the car they deserve

Toto Wolff feels sorry for his drivers, Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, that Mercedes F1 is unable to provide a better car at present. The world champion team principal regrets that the W13 is late, but he salutes the work of Russell, who is new to the team and has had two solid races.

“I think he is doing a great job” Wolff said. « But he’s not being given a tool to fight up front where he and Lewis deserve to be. George has proven he has the ability to drive up front but at the moment we’re not providing him with the car. he deserves, so I’m very happy with his overall performance. »

Andrew Shovlin, Mercedes F1’s performance director, confirms that it will be impossible to fight the two top teams for the time being, when his team was even under threat from the peloton during the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

« We know there’s a big performance gap between us and Red Bull, us and Ferrari, and ultimately fifth is the best we can do at the moment, and we’re working really hard to try to improve. this situation. »

But like Wolff, Shovlin praises Russell’s work and his collaboration with Hamilton: « But how do you assess his weekend? Well, it’s not just where he is at the finish. You have to see how he behaves during the sessions, how George and Lewis work together, what is going very well. »

“They are both very determined to be on top of this car and to try to bring more performance to future races. And he has integrated really well into the team. So we had high expectations for George, he lives up to those expectations, so we’re all happy. »