Toto Wolff feels George Russell is “ready to win the title”, but warns over Mercedes potential. Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff has confidence in his drivers.

The New Lineup

With Lewis Hamilton’s long tenure at Mercedes coming to an end—after the Briton wrote a defining chapter in the Anglo-German team’s history in Formula 1—Brackley is now set to open a new era. George Russell, a two-time race winner in 2024, has been confirmed, while the Silver Arrows will also introduce one of the most intriguing rookies, 18-year-old Andrea Kimi Antonelli, a product of Mercedes’ Junior Team, who is ready for his F1 debut.

Wolff’s Confidence

Ahead of pre-season testing, Team Principal Toto Wolff is the first to believe in the potential of both his drivers, as he confirmed in an interview with Sky Sports F1: “George is ready to win the title,” he stated. “But we need to provide both him and Kimi with a car that is fast enough. These cars are very complex, and it’s not easy to find the right way to set them up—we’ve only managed to do so in a few instances so far.” – the Mercedes team boss pointed out.

The Car Comes First

A challenging and unpredictable goal for Toto Wolff, especially in a season that will be the last before the introduction of new technical regulations in 2026: “We were ultra-dominant in Las Vegas, but at other circuits, we weren’t even able to fight for the podium,” he continued. “So, I don’t want to make too many predictions about our performance. We’ll see how things go in testing, whether we can get on top of our balance issues, and understand the tires better.” – Toto Wolff concluded.