Toto Wolff’s wink indicates that Valtteri Bottas / George Russell made the decision

Toto Wolff has dropped a big hint that the decision about who will start Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes next year has already been made.

But the secret is kept a secret, and even Valtteri Bottas and George Russell may not yet know, let alone be able to explain anything publicly.

Mercedes have to decide which of the duo they want to work with with Hamilton, who recently signed a two-year contract extension.

The smart money goes to the up-and-coming Mercedes young driver Russell, who shone on loan from Williams – especially in qualifying, where he made entering Q3 a habit with a less competitive car when it comes to racing.

But Bottas also stays in the mix after receiving praise from both Wolff and Hamilton for the role he played in last weekend’s British Grand Prix victory.

Wolff, the Mercedes F1 team boss and co-owner, was asked about the current driver situation in an interview with RTL – and his answer made it clear that he knows a lot more than he admits.

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With a smile, Wolff said: “Now we’ll see what decision we make – or have already made but not yet said.”

When the announcement is likely, the Austrian added, followed by a wink at the camera: “Unfortunately, I have no news, I still don’t know which way it is going.”

RTL itself said in its story about the interview: “In plain language, the die has been cast, but the decision is still a secret – the drivers apparently don’t even know”.

Wolff was also asked what it feels like to know he has to tell either Bottas or Russell that their services will not be needed at Mercedes next year.

“Telling someone ‘that’s it’ is one of those very difficult discussions and something you’d rather not do,” said the 49-year-old.

“But the strength of my role is that I also have to have unpleasant conversations when I think it’s the right thing for the team.”

Regarding Russell, Wolff said, “He definitely has what it takes to be a world champion. You have to build it carefully and that’s what we did. “