Toto Wolff hits back at Christian Horner over Lewis Hamilton and George Russell comment

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As Lewis Hamilton’s protracted contract saga with Mercedes continues, team principal Toto Wolff is not prepared to compare the world champion with George Russell, the young, upstart racer who replaced him in the Sakhir Grand Prix, just as Red Bull chief Christian Horner did.

Hamilton missed the Sakhir Grand Prix due to testing positive for the coronavirus.

Russell qualified P2 in his stead and was on pace to claim his first victory before a pit stop error and puncture dropped him to eighth place late on.

Nevertheless, the 22-year-old impressed in his cameo in the Mercedes, so much so that Red Bull boss Christian Horner used his performance to justify that Max Verstappen is the best driver on the grid.

“I think he is the best, yes,” Horner told RacingNews365 regarding Verstappen’s talent.

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“Russell’s performance at Mercedes confirmed that for me.

“Max and Lewis stand out for me, but while we absolutely should not be blind to all that Hamilton has achieved, he does have access to a good package while Max has to get more and more out of his car.

“You can see that by the fact that a driver from Williams qualified directly on the front row of the grid and almost won the race.

“If someone had to get into Max’s car, if he had coronavirus, they would never reach his level of performance.”

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Wolff was asked to respond to Horner’s somewhat pointed comparison.

The Mercedes chief, however, was far more reserved.

“Horner can’t resist making a comment behind the scenes, but that’s part of his game.

“The future looks bright with the talents coming up and in the same car you can see who is the best.

“You can only compare a driver if they are in the same car,” he told ORF via GP Blog.

“We haven’t seen Hamilton race against Russell, so you can’t judge that. We also haven’t seen Charles Leclerc in a top car. I have a high opinion of Sergio Perez and I am curious how he compares to Verstappen.”

Naturally given the current situation regarding Hamilton’s contract, Russell is being primed to take his Mercedes seat should the talks turn sour.

While the general expectation is still that the seven-time world champion will return with Mercedes this year, Russell’s performance in the Mercedes – and his growing reputation as a result – is a spanner in the works.

Should Hamilton return to Mercedes, he will chase history.

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