Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff has talked up the potential of George Russell by recalling his first meeting with him.
The young Briton has enjoyed a rapid rise up the motorsport ladder winning GP3 and Formula 2 in consecutive years before getting his opportunity with Williams in F1 this year.
Part of that has been possible through his association with Mercedes as a junior driver and Wolff told the story of how that came about.
“My first encounter with George was when he was 15 or 16 years old and he asked me for a meeting,” the Austrian told Formula1.com.
“I really enjoy meeting those young kids full of dreams. He came in a black suit and a tie with a notebook and he said ‘I’ve just won I think it was the F4 title in British F4, and I’m considering doing F3.
“My feeling is that I should be staying with a British team because I’m very young and I understand Carlin, but would that close the Mercedes door for me if I’m not on a Mercedes engine in F3 in my first year?’.
“It was such a reflective question from a 15-year-old or 16-year-old, it was really amazing. So he has the brain, he has the empathy, the social skills and the driving.
“I can only repeat what Sebastien Philippe [Russell’s boss at ART] told me. He said he’s one of the best we’ve ever had within our team.”
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Comparisons are being made between Russell and Charles Leclerc, given both managed the same achievements on their path to F1 and the 20-year-old is tipped to potentially replace Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes in the future.
“I think we might have another young British boy here that can become a star in the future,” Wolff concluded.