At the height of their dominance Mercedes was a well-oiled machine in Formula 1, with the car and driver combination of Lewis Hamilton proving unstoppable.
It helped Hamilton reach seven world titles with the team and overtake Michael Schumacher as one of the greatest drivers of all time, while he also got help from wingman Valtteri Bottas.
Hamilton will be going up against Charles Leclerc at Ferrari in 2025, in a move that Peter Windsor thinks will see the seven-time world champion struggle compared to how he won races at Mercedes.
In the latter years of Hamilton’s career at Mercedes he got a taste of what that could look like going up against George Russell, who proved himself to be a formidable teammate.
Discussing how Toto Wolff managed to create the ‘ideal’ team between the pair, F1 expert Riccardo Ceccarelli explained how the team principal dealt with both drivers differently when speaking on the Motorsport.com podcast.
Toto Wolff treated George Russell and Lewis Hamilton differently
Wolff is one of the most successful team principals in the history of F1, having won a record eight world titles at Mercedes.
The team faced trouble in 2022 when the current regulations were introduced and they got their car concept wrong. Instead of tripping over each other on track, Hamilton and Russell worked together to make things better.
It resulted in them turning around their fortunes in 2024, with both drivers winning races in the middle part of the season. Part of this is how Wolff managed their pair according to Ceccarelli.
“Toto had a different attitude with Russell compared to Hamilton. This is what a great team principal has to do, to try and put his men in the ideal conditions,” said Ceccarelli.
“They have to make it clear what they are trying to manage themselves.”
George Russell to take on team leader role as Andrea Kimi Antonelli joins
Mercedes will have a driver lineup that does not consist of a world champion for the first time in 2025, with the addition of 18-year-old Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
Antonelli is billed as the next bright talent to come out of Mercedes, although much like it took Max Verstappen a few seasons to win a title, it could be a long-term project for Wolff before he sees success.
READ MORE: Who is 2025 Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli? Everything to know
Russell is set to take on the role of team leader in this instance, while newly appointed third driver Valtteri Bottas will be on hand to help Antonelli.
It will be an interesting period for Mercedes, considering they showed promise towards the end of 2024 but there is still a question mark over whether Russell can be consistent enough during a season to challenge for a title.
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