Russell On Wolff: 'I Would Class Ourselves More As Friends Now'
F1
F1 Driver George Russell said he would class himself "more as friends" with Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff.
While many fans might think that George Russell met Toto Wolff for the first time when he joined the Mercedes Formula One team, the truth is his first contact with the Mercedes team principal came when he was just 15 years old.
During their first meeting, Russell made a significant impression on Wolff when he presented him with a PowerPoint presentation on why he was the right driver for Mercedes' junior program. Following this first meeting, Rusell maintained communications with Wolff and kept proving his talent and skills for the next ten years.
In 2022, he finally signed a contract to drive for the Mercedes F1 team, where he replaced Valtteri Bottas, with whom he crashed the season before, to race alongside seven-time world champion, Lewis Hamilton. Russell recently made an appearance in the F1 Beyond the Grid podcast.
He was asked if Wolff embodied a more fatherly figure to him when joining the team in 2022. Rusell first responded by contrasting the dynamics between Wolff and Hamilton, saying there was "perhaps more respect from Toto to Lewis" when Lewis joined the team.
"When Lewis and Toto were acquainted, Lewis was already World Champion, this megastar. There was perhaps more respect from Toto to Lewis when he joined because Toto was completely new to Formula 1. At the time, Toto was the rookie and Lewis was the household, massive name, whereas, with myself, Toto signed me as a 16-year-old."
Rusell explained he learned a lot from the team principal mentioning he classifies his relationship with Wolff "more as friends". He also elaborated on the relationship between him with his girlfriend Carmen and Wolff's wife, Susie.
"They've always nurtured me along the way, advised me, and helped me reach my full potential and our relationship has gone from - I am not going to say a paternal figure - but I would class ourselves more as friends now. "
"Also with Susie [Wolff] and Carmen [Mundt], my girlfriend, we have a really great relationship, we spend a lot of time together doing activities together, dinner together, we see them all the time."
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