Interview: Wolff backs Mercedes' F1 line-up: 'With a good car, we'll be there'

Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff has backed his driver line-up to bring success to the squad should they have a capable car. Lewis Hamilton and George Russell have been paired together at the Brackley-based outfit since the start of 2022. However, their partnership coincided with new technical regulations that saw Mercedes slip down the pecking order while rivals Red Bull stretched clear of the competition. Mercedes has won just a single Grand Prix in that period as Russell prevailed at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix last year. Following two relatively uncompetitive years, Mercedes is overhauling its car design with the W15 for next year set to be vastly different to its predecessor. When asked by select media if Hamilton and Russell are the best line-up in F1, Wolff told select media including RacingNews365 : “If we give them the right car, yes. “I think there's a few others, Max you cannot doubt him. He’s already one of the best drivers. If you give our [drivers] a great car, then we’ll be right there.

'Everyone needs feedback'

Russell rued a number of lost points during the year as he fell to eighth place in the Drivers' Championship, while Hamilton ended the campaign in third. Wolff stated that Mercedes' “fragile” car resulted in performance swings between the pair during the year. “Everybody needs some feedback,” Wolff explained regarding Russell. “He's a very strong character and he came out of the summer [break] very strong. “He changed his approach a little bit and that was good. Then it swung the other way around. “Lewis performed in an extraordinary way but I think these swings they happen. They happen from track to track with this fragile cars you know you can come from a very good weekend to a very bad [one] suddenly. “Everyone needs an arm around the shoulder. I have my wife who puts an arm around my shoulder.”