Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff handed George Russell a rare “10 out of 10” for his drive at the Chinese Grand Prix on Sunday.

Mercedes youngster Kimi Antonelli won the fan-voted Driver of the Day award, but it was Russell who finished on the podium behind the McLarens of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris.

Toto Wolff hands rare Mercedes ’10 out of 10′ to ‘faultless’ George Russell

Russell started on the front row but was leapfrogged by Norris at Turn 1, after being crowded towards the inside by polesitter Piastri at the start.

While he was able to undercut Norris and take P2 midway through the race, the McLaren driver regained the place and just about held onto his position by the end, with a long brake pedal allowing Russell to close to within two seconds come the chequered flag.

But with Russell getting the most out of his car, and Antonelli finishing in the points after suffering floor damage on the opening lap, Wolff left Shanghai satisfied with the team’s day – and reserved rare praise for Russell’s performance.

“That was a solid afternoon’s work,” Wolff said after the race.

“A podium felt like the realistic best-case scenario for us ahead of the race and that is what we were able to achieve. We knew that the McLarens were going to be very strong, and that the Ferraris and Verstappen were also going to be a threat.

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“I don’t often give 10 out of 10s as I think there is always room to improve but George was faultless today. He extracted the maximum from the car and for me, that was a 10 out of 10 drive.

“He has started this season incredibly well and is performing exactly as we knew he would as the senior driver.

“Kimi’s race was unfortunately compromised by floor damage he sustained on the first lap. He kept his head down though and fought really hard, despite the sizeable performance deficit he was carrying, to come home a creditable P8.

“He didn’t complain throughout the race, just kept focused on the job, and that’s exactly what we want to see.

“Overall, it’s been a good start to the new season. The ambition is to win but we don’t feel any entitlement that we should. The car is not quite as fast as the McLaren as the moment, but the team are working hard to close that gap.

“For now, we are maximising the performance we have and to leave China second in the Constructors’ Championship, having taken two podiums for the first two races, is satisfying.”

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