12 June 2024 , 14:19
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Damon Hill has blasted Toto Wolff for "undermining" George Russell, insisting that Mercedes needs to show the Brit more support.
Russell led the way as Mercedes had their best weekend of 2024 so far in Canada, securing pole position and finishing third behind Max Verstappen's Red Bull and Lando Norris of McLaren. His team-mate, Lewis Hamilton, who started in seventh place, finished fourth.
However, it was a race that Mercedes could have won. While the car's lack of speed has been a letdown for Russell and Hamilton since the major regulation changes two years ago, this time it was the drivers who didn't fully deliver, with both making errors during the race.
A costly mistake from Russell on lap 51 while pursuing Verstappen allowed Norris to pass him, effectively ending his chances of victory. Following that error, team boss Toto Wolff came on the radio to tell his driver to "focus".
Russell admitted to a "couple of mistakes" after the race which he described as a "missed opportunity". However, 1996 world champion and Sky Sports pundit Hill believes Wolff shouldn't have told Russell to 'focus' and insisted that Mercedes could do more to support the Brit.
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"He is trying to establish himself as the lead driver," Hill said on Sky Sports' post-Montreal podcast. "They're talking all the time about who's going to be his team-mate for next year, rather than talking up George. I think that Mercedes ought to back him a bit harder.
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Toto Wolff has undermined George Russell, according to Damon Hill (AFP via Getty Images)"They ought to give him a bit more confidence. And then he doesn't perhaps have to try so hard to prove himself in the race, because it seems to me he's trying to compensate a little bit for stuff. I think he needs to cool it."
Hill also felt Wolff's radio intervention during the race was unnecessary, adding: "I think it can be slightly undermining if you're getting coached by your team boss over the radio during the race, being told to sort of focus. I think he knows what he's doing, as a famous racing driver."
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