The Mercedes Formula 1 team have had an incredibly difficult start to the season this year as they continue to deal with issues on their W13.
As we head to the inaugural Miami Grand Prix, the silver arrows are sitting in third in the constructor’s standings with only 77 points, and are currently 47 points behind Ferrari in first.
Despite these hardships, Team Principal Toto Wolff has said the relationship between Lewis Hamilton and George Russell remains “positive” and “productive” and described this as “one of the very few highlights.”
Wolff said he was impressed with how well they were working together even though they are coping with the frustrations of not having a competitive car to fight comfortably at the top of the field.
“I’m very impressed with how George has settled in, how professionally and analytically he helps to assess the situation,” said Wolff speaking after the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.
“The combination is one of the very few highlights I have at the moment on our journey – how well the two of them work together, with no friction; on the contrary, they’re very productive and positive for the team.
“And I couldn’t be happier with the driver line-up; in that respect I think we have the two best drivers, maybe two of the three best drivers and they deserve a car and a power unit that fights at the front rather than them being lapped. That’s not what any of them deserves.”
He went on to speak about Hamilton, who has been enduring a particularly rough season in his W13 and said he still believes he is “the best driver in the world.
He said the obstacles being met amid the new regulations are not a reflection of either driver but are solely down to the car itself.
“Well, you know in a way I have to protect him here,” he said.
“It’s not his low. It’s the low of the car performance.
“We know that he is a seven-time world champion. He caught up last year, him and us the team caught up and nearly fought for the championship.
“The guy is the best driver in the world, and he’s just not having a machine and equipment underneath him to be able to execute… In a way I think it’s irrelevant if you come in eighth or 12th or 15th, it doesn’t matter; it’s all bad.
“But the real stars recover.”
