Toto Wolff: George Russell "was always underrated" in Lewis Hamilton comparison

Mercedes CEO Toto Wolff has discussed the contract extensions for George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli during the Autosport Business Exchange New York, arguing that Russell has been underrated for some time thanks to his place alongside Lewis Hamilton.

The Brackley outfit confirmed on 15 October that Russell and Antonelli had signed contract extensions for the 2026 Formula 1 season.

The contracts, especially for the Briton, have been a big discussion point within the F1 paddock after Wolff confirmed he was in talks with four-time champion Max Verstappen earlier in the season for a potential seat in 2026. After the Austrian admitted that the likelihood of the talks coming to fruition was low and Verstappen later confirming his loyalty to Red Bull, many thought it was just a matter of time before Russell's 2026 contract would be announced. 

Now, after months of negotiations, Mercedes has confirmed that the duo will continue into next year.

"First of all, I think there was so much hype around Lewis [Hamilton] leaving and an 18-year-old coming, and the risk that we were taking, but as a matter of fact, there was not so much risk because we had George. And in a way, he was always underrated in all of those years, maybe because of his more introverted personality," Wolff explained.

"And then obviously if your team-mate is Lewis Hamilton, you won't get a lot of, how can I say, percentage of eyeballs.

"I mean if George would have bought into the fashion style of Lewis, maybe it would have given him more photos, but that's not how he is. So it was always good to know that we had George as one of the best drivers, and then bringing Kimi on was a long-term plan. We knew that giving him one year in the current regulations would be tough. Because all of these drivers have driven those ground effect cars.

George Russell, Mercedes, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes

Photo by: Jayce Illman / Getty Images

"The tyres are very tricky to understand, many race tracks that he hasn't been to, and then the enormous media pressure that comes up when you're an Italian. This country has been starved for a world champion since God knows, 50, 60 years, and all of that has happened. All of that led to good results. I think the highlight was certainly the pole in the sprint in Miami and the podium in Montreal, but also, to some very difficult races.

"The media pressure was enormous in Europe, and I think we've learned the lesson. We've shielded him a little bit, and the last two races were really good, back on track. Next year's gonna be a completely different starting point for him, having seen it all, having been there, and I'm sure it's gonna be a very good one."