Mercedes has been thinking for a few months who will partner with Lewis Hamilton next season after signing a new two-year deal with the seven-time world champion earlier this year.
Bottas has been driving for Mercedes since 2017 and helped the team win four constructors’ championships but could be replaced for next year by Russell, who played a leading role during his time at Williams and is a member of the Mercedes junior driver program.
Mercedes previously said it expected to make a decision between Russell and Bottas in the summer months, but no announcement was made ahead of F1’s return to Spa this weekend.
Russell and Bottas remained cautious about any decision made during Thursday’s FIA press conference, and both drivers said there was “no news to share yet”.
But Mercedes F1 boss Wolff announced on Saturday that a decision had already been made and replied “yes” twice when asked the question, adding in one response, “I have always been sincere with you.”
Russell put on his latest great performance for Williams during Saturday’s qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix, finishing second in the pouring rain to mark Williams’ best position since the 2017 Italian Grand Prix.
Wolff joked that he was “a bit disappointed because [Russell] should have been on pole, “added, however, that the performance made no difference to Mercedes’ view of him or his considerations.
“I think we know what we’ve got with George,” said Wolff. “He was great in the junior categories, he was great at Williams, he was great when he was [racing for Mercedes] in Bahrain.
“And if I needed this ultimate proof, something would have been wrong.”
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Wolff also spoke about the importance of making sure that every driver who doesn’t drive for Mercedes next year has a good alternative.
“If it had been an easy decision we would have made it sooner because we know what we have with Valtteri and we know what we have with George,” said Wolff.
“Both deserve to be looked after. Both deserve to be looked after in the best possible way, because both belong to the family and we hold them up.
“So there are advantages and disadvantages, as with any driver line-up, and in the end there is no perfect discussion.
“We just have to manage it well and manage the situation well, with every driver who is not in a Mercedes next year, and ensure an exciting program, and on the other hand manage the situation internally as we have always had.”
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