© Stephen Reuss for Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix ltd.
Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff says he’s been “trying to really bang into” George Russell’s “head that he hasn’t lost his form”.
After completely impressing everyone in 2022, this year George Russell has had more difficulties coming to grips with Mercedes’ car, especially since the team introduced its big upgrade at Monaco.
However, despite this, team boss Toto Wolff says he does not believe the young Briton has lost his form.
“I’m trying to really bang into his head that he hasn’t lost his form, that it’s just a myth that he’s making up,” the Austrian said at Zandvoort.
“You don’t unlearn to drive and you don’t lose your form, you can have up and downs like all of us have and racing drivers too.
“But every single weekend when things have gone against him, it was pretty clear why that was and it wasn’t the driving.
“In that respect it’s no such thing that in Spa and Budapest your capability of moving this car is less good than it is three weeks later in Holland.
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“He just needs to have a clean weekend like he didn’t have before and this one was much better.”
Toto added he does not believe there is such a thing as a driver being in the ‘groove’ or not.
“I never bought into this ‘groove’ thing or not. When you and I are having a bad day, nobody knows.
“But if a driver has a bad day, then he’s probably a tenth off and that makes all the difference in a qualifying.
“All the drivers have days that are not so good and we’ve seen these ups and downs with George.
“But the quality of driver he is, I’ve never doubted him for a minute,” Wolff concluded.
