Toto Wolff: Premature to place George Russell at Mercedes in 2020

In the chess game started to give a face to the 2020 grid, the second bucket of Mercedes-AMG F1 appears to be the flagship destination of the summer. And on the chessboard, the pieces have not yet all moved, Esteban Ocon et Valtteri Bottas placing themselves as favorites.

Champion of F2 in 2018, George Russell could have constituted a solution for the management of Mercedes, which presides over the destiny of the young Briton, current holder at Williams.

The driver did not suffer from the comparison with his teammate, Robert Kubica this year, continuing to surpass the Polish veteran, particularly in qualifying.

If his future looks bright, placing him in a Mercedes seat next year after just one season in F1 could clip his wings, as the Team Principal of the world champion team recalled, Toto wolff.

“I think it can go badly, for a young driver who has the talent to become world champion, if he is thrown into this high pressure environment, alongside the best driver of his generation, underlined the manager cited by Sky Sports. I wouldn't want to "burn" George. I think it would be too early. »

A pressure which appears much less strong at Williams, a team currently in full reconstruction and where George Russell seems to be flourishing more and more.

“I think he is in a very good position at Williams, added Wolff. He helped them progress and he appreciates when a car works well. And I also try to respect all the contracts we sign. »

In the rather flattering picture of George Russell's 2019 season, one disappointment still remains: the Briton remains the only driver not to have scored points, Robert Kubica having taken advantage of the chaos at Hockenheim to register the only Williams unit this year.

One point which, however, remains unresolved, Alfa Romeo Racing having appealed the penalties imposed on Kimi Räikkönen and Antonio Giovinazzi for incorrect clutch calibration at the start, and having relegated both drivers out of the points.