It was no surprise that Toto Wolff — remarkably in contact from home in Monaco rather than in Suzuka — ordered George Russell to let Lewis Hamilton pass last weekend. Hamilton, with Carlos Sainz on his tail, wanted to be let past Russell. Russell wanted Hamilton to stay behind him until the last lap so they could resist the Ferrari man’s charge together. Hamilton warned: ‘We’re going to lose both of these positions.’. He is always visibly more pleased by his success than Russell’s. Now, Wolff either believes in Russell’s abilities to win the title, or he doesn’t. In which case, if I were Russell, I wouldn’t be sure Mercedes is the team for me. His fellow young Brit George Russell has got himself over that line, once in Brazil last year.

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