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Toto Wolff denies any favouritism of George Russell over Lewis Hamilton and says Mercedes is “trying to do the best out of the relationship” in his final season.
After the Monaco Grand Prix Qualifying, Lewis Hamilton revealed that Mercedes only brought one upgraded component to the track – a new front wing – and fitted it to George Russell’s car.
This caused some fans to accuse the team of favouring Russell over Hamilton, especially in light of Lewis’ departure at the end of the year.
When asked if Lewis is questioning his status within the team, Toto Wolff said Mercedes is not favouring either driver.
“You know, aren’t all drivers a bit sceptical at times?” the Austrian said.
“I think as a team, we’ve demonstrated even in the most tense competitions between team-mates that we are trying to always balance the drive and be transparent and fair.
“I think that was not a moment apart from 2016 Abu Dhabi [where the team told Hamilton to stop backing up Nico Rosberg] where we tried to manage these areas.
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“We haven’t done [that] since then, but I can understand that as a driver, you want the best out of yourself and the team. Sometimes when it’s going against you, you can question.
“As a team, we are 100% on a mission of giving the two drivers two great cars, the best possible cars and the best possible strategies and support.”
Ultimately, Toto said Mercedes is committed to ending their relationship with Lewis on a high.
“Well, we’re trying to do the best out of the relationship, trying to maximise the results for what is the final season.
“And that, you know, always between drivers and teams can be tense at times because everybody wants to do their best,” Wolff concluded.
