© Steve Etherington for Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd.
Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff says George Russell approaches racing “more from an intellectual standpoint” than Max Verstappen.
In a GQ magazine piece looking at George Russell, Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff gave his opinion on the difference between George and Max Verstappen when it comes to their approach to racing.
“I think Max’s approach – and this is George’s phrase since he was in go-karting – is ‘win it or bin it’,” the Austrian said.
“George approaches it more from an intellectual standpoint, while having all the skills.”
Wolff goes on to say that it’s impossible to change George’s winning mindset now, therefore a battle between him and his team-mate Lewis Hamilton can be expected.
“You can’t tell a man that has been in a go-kart from the age of six, having been sent out in the rain alone, that ‘now you’re a part of the team, you need to drive for the team’.
“It’s ingrained in them to be alone out there – to be opportunistic,” concluded Mercedes’ team boss.
George then confirms it’s natural for him to be prepared to fight everybody, as it’s the only way for him to win the world title.
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“The fact is, Lewis and I have a good relationship,” Russell said.
“They’ll twist my words slightly to blurb a headline, such as me trying to take Lewis’ crown away or whatever. But I don’t feel like that.
“I’m in F1 because I want to be World Champion, that’s obvious. And if I’m going to be World Champion, I’ve got to beat everyone – Lewis included.”
However, the young Briton admits even in this situation he would take, as Wolff put it, a more ‘intellectual approach’.
“In an ideal world, we just want to be battling one another. We don’t want to be battling with the Red Bulls and the Ferraris.
“So we need to work together and push each other to be able to achieve that. I want to win… obviously. I want to win today.
“But you give me the choice of winning today and having an average future, or learning today and then 10 years of success – it’s an easy choice,” Russell concluded.
