Toto Wolff lauds Lewis Hamilton for allowing George Russell to pass at F1 Miami Grand Prix
Merc🥂edes is🅠sued team instructions via their team radio requesting that Hamilton did not obstruct Russell’s charge.
"We have George 1.1 b꧋ehind," Hamilton was told by his engineer.
"We aren't racing🎐 him. We are racing Esteban Ocon. So let's not hold each other up."
Hamil𝓡ton saidᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚ: "He can go by but I am not backing off though."
Hamilton did let Russell through - the younger driver finished in P4, t🌱he seven-ti🌸me world champion settled for P6.
Mercedes team principal Wolff insisted that he did not expect any issue from request꧅ing that Hamilton prioritised Russell in that moment.
“No, absolutely not. George was a stop ahead,” Wolff sa﷽id.
“To see two teammates, both on very goo𝔉d levels, ᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚthey are both so straightforward.
“That is good at such a difficult moment.”
The subject of relationship between teammates has continually cropped up this season as Red Bull’s Max Verstappen ℱbattles Sergio Perez with the F1 title at stake.
Christian Horner even 𓃲teased Wolff that Red Bull were ♑navigating that awkwardness better than Mercedes did when they had Hamilton and Nico Rosberg on top.
But Mercedes are in a very different place this season, ཧand Wolff reacted to the F1 Miami Grand Prix: “The car was good today.
“🌃From P13 it’s pretty difficult if you start on the same strategy as everyone else to pass.
“Therefore we went with hards. Then we saw others hadℱ thought the🍃 same.
“Considering the ওstrategy hope that we had, that nobody would start on the hards, was diminished, he drove a great race.”
James was a sports journalist at Sky Sports for a decade covering e👍verything from American sports, to football, to F1.
