George Russell’s throwaway comment hints at big problem for Mercedes boss Toto Wolff after horror F1 season opener
A THROWAWAY comment from George Russell has suggested Mercedes could end up with a bigger problem than their car.
Team principal Toto Wolff has already indicated the team could scrap their car design after just one race.
Russell and Lewis Hamilton finished P7 and P5 respectively at the season’s opening race in Bahrain.
The Silver Arrows struggled to keep pace with runaway leaders Red Bull, as well as Ferrari and surprise team Aston Martin.
Both Russell and Hamilton look set to be on a problem-solving streak for the first few races at the very least, despite the latter trying to have a positive outlook on the season.
However, should they begin to genuinely compete for race victories again, Russell has indicated he will not be backing down from the challenge.
After qualifying, the young Brit told Channel 4: “It’s meaningless. We’re here to win. I want to beat everybody.”
The 25-year-old has one race victory to his name after winning last year’s Brazil Grand Prix in Sao Paolo.
Meanwhile, 38-year-old Hamilton has 103 wins to his name, which have allowed him to yield a joint-record seven world titles.
This has not stopped Russell from indicating he will get his elbows out, even hopping on the team radio during the race to ask whether his team-mate was struggling.
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He said: “Is Lewis managing or is he slow? Because I feel like I have a bit more pace.”
While the pair are amicable at the moment, Hamilton and Mercedes have a history of driver partnerships being put under intense strain.
The Brit came wheel-to-wheel with Nico Rosberg on more than one occasion when the pair shared the seats at Mercedes from 2013 to 2016.
Wolff will be keen to avoid such a situation with his two current drivers.
Hamilton has also been feisty with former McLaren team-mate Fernando Alonso.
The pair fell out in 2007 as then-rookie Hamilton challenged the two-time champ throughout the season – with the bickering ultimately allowing Kimi Raikkonen to snatch the title.
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