Wolfe said after the announcement of Hamilton's move from Mercedes to Ferrari: "Of all the talk about Lewis, there's one thing that hasn't been talked about much and that's Russell. He has the potential to be the team's next main driver and I don't want a new leader with Hamilton gone. There is no doubt about it. ”
We have such a solid foundation, such a fast, talented guy in the car, the team just needs to make the right choice for the second seat. ”
Russell has been running at Mercedes for two seasons, after he drove at Williams for a long time. Russell took pole position at the 2022 Hungarian Grand Prix with an impressive lap time, and he also won the coveted victory in Brazil that year.
The win set Russell apart from Norris and Albon – his 2019 F1 rookie contemporaries – and it also meant he was Mercedes' most recent champion.
In the last 15 years, only two F1 teams have won the championship. Since 2009, Red Bull and Brown Mercedes have shared all the championship trophies.
Soon, however, Hamilton will leave Mercedes for Ferrari, a decision that has actually made Russell's upcoming season even tougher. Russell must erase those false memories of mid-2023 and continue his excellent performance in Abu Dhabi.
Now, there are two weeks to go before the new work begins. Hamilton's departure from the team next year will undoubtedly add to the pressure on Russell. Because, if he can't prove his ability and has another season of mistakes heading into 2025, then Wolff's doubts about him will increase.
Mercedes will select Russell's team-mates for the upcoming season, which will be a big decision. It is clear that the Mercedes team takes into account the results of the next season when making its decision.
Among the many **s, the call for promoting the latest rising star F2 driver Antonelli is getting louder and louder. However, such a bold move could only be made when the 17-year-old Italian immediately shone in the tournament.
At the same time, the likelihood of Albon and Russell pairing is starting to diminish. That's because the possibility of Albon's return to Red Bull is real, he has already secured the first option for Williams Racing for 2026 and will be wise to stay close to Red Bull once his current contract ends.
Given Hamilton's mature attitude and technical prowess, it was a smart move for Mercedes to swap him directly with Sainz, who was about to become a former Ferrari driver. But the rumors of Sainz and Audi have not subsided.
Therefore, Sainz is aiming to join Sauber as soon as possible. Given Audi's desire to boost its car sales in China, Sainz is likely to be alongside Zhou.
At last weekend's Aston Martin press conference for the new season, Alonso had the chance to dispel speculation that he would switch from Martin to Mercedes in 2025, but he chose to give up. Alonso showed Aston Martin his worth as "the only three world champions in the paddock", while also emphasizing his status to other suitors.
But Alonso's move to Mercedes has the potential to cause instability in the team, as Mercedes is rebuilding and has been very focused on avoiding it since the end of the Rothberg Hamilton era in 2016.
This potential danger exists because Alonso has a history of playing the political game of the convoy while constantly throwing olive branches to the **. But such a choice would be "bold", as Wolf said, after losing Mercedes' most successful F1 star, he is considering such an option.
However, whether the pressure on Russell is coming from himself or from the selection of his teammates, Russell is no stranger to such a burden. He had to win every rookie season in GP3 and F2 before he could qualify for F1 and perform well.
While 2024 has suddenly become more important and therefore naturally more difficult, he has the opportunity to accomplish one big thing: become the long-term leading driver of the Mercedes team.
**10,000 Fans Incentive Plan