Toto Wolff’s verdict on “superstar” George Russell amid F1 contract delays

Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff has hailed George Russell as a “superstar” and reiterated that he will be a part of the team’s “future” in Formula 1.

Russell had already marked himself out as a potential champion as Lewis Hamilton’s teammate at Mercedes in the past three years, but he has underlined his potential further in 2025 following Hamilton’s departure to Ferrari.

With rookie Kimi Antonelli now on the other side of the garage, Russell has risen to the role of team leader, with a brilliant victory at the Canadian Grand Prix the highlight of his campaign so far.

Ahead of the resumption of the season with the Dutch GP this weekend, the Briton sits a strong fourth in the drivers’ standings, just 15 points adrift of Red Bull’s four-time world champion Max Verstappen.

These performances have earned plenty of praise from Wolff, who has been impressed by Russell’s remarkable growth over the years.

"It's great to see that. He's developed wonderfully as a Mercedes junior at Williams,” Wolff told Formula.hu.

“He was very fast when he arrived at Mercedes and then he developed alongside Lewis. Last year he was the fastest and now he's become the lead driver completely seamlessly.

“He's really fast and has exceeded what the car can do on many occasions. You can see how much when the car is difficult to drive.”

“For me George is a superstar among the current drivers.”

Russell’s contract with Mercedes  is set to expire at the end of the 2025 season.

Talks over an extension had been on hold while Wolff explored the possibility of luring Verstappen away from Red Bull.

That speculation was finally ended during the Hungarian GP weekend, when Verstappen confirmed his commitment to Milton Keynes and Wolff stated that both Russell and Antonelli will stay with the team next year.

And while Wolff admitted he gave serious thought to signing Verstappen, he stressed there was never any doubt about Russell’s place at Mercedes for the next rules cycle.

"It was always obvious to me that George was part of our future, I told him that, he knows it," Wolff stressed.

"But, you know, it's a tough sport. Sometimes you have to keep your options open and look carefully at what the future could be in the medium and long term. In this sport, you have to deal with the pressure."

Wolff added that Russell can expect a new contract "soon" despite the recent delays.