Toto Wolff backs George Russell as new Mercedes 'leader' after Lewis Hamilton's Ferrari move

On Thursday, Ferrari stunned the sporting world by announcing that the seven-time world champion will join the Italian team for the 2025 Formula One season on a multi-year contract.

The news brings an end to Hamilton's what is currently a 17-year-long relationship in F1 with Mercedes-Benz and an 11-year-long partnership with the works team.

The seven-time world champion's choice to leave well in advance of his departure date has given Wolff plenty of time to recruit a replacement, which the Austrian claims is made easier by Russell's talent.

"With all the Lewis discussion, something that has not been talked about enough is George. George has the potential to be the next lead driver in the team. He is of the generation of Lando (Norris) and (Charles) Leclerc and some of the others," said Wolff as quoted by Sky Sports.

"I couldn't wish for a new team leader when Lewis leaves, no doubt about that," he added.

Russell finished two positions and 35 points ahead of Hamilton in the drivers' standings in his maiden season with Mercedes in 2022, and he also won the team's only race in the previous two years, the Sao Paulo Grand Prix. Russell, who will turn 26 later this month, had a more difficult second season due to inconsistency, notably in races, which saw him finish fifth and 59 points behind Hamilton.

Despite the hard circumstances of the campaign, and Mercedes' failure to develop a car capable of beating Max Verstappen's dominant Red Bull, Wolff remains confident in the Brit's talent.

"We have such a solid foundation, such a quick, talented and intelligent guy in the car that we just need to take the right choice for the second driver, and that's not something I want to be rushed in," He added.

"I guess that a few contracts have been signed a few weeks ago that we would have looked at that could have been interesting but timing here beat us a bit," Wolff said. (ANI)