After the second qualifying at Spa last month, Williams driver Russell put in another impressive performance in wet conditions and secured P3 in qualifying at the Sochi Autodrom on Saturday.
The achievement only made Russell more buzz before joining Mercedes in 2022 when he worked with seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton.
Russell and Hamilton will start side by side on the grid today after Hamilton slipped to fourth in the closing stages of qualifying.
But Mercedes F1 boss Wolff thought P4 “might not be the worst starting position for Lewis” thanks to the long descent into Turn 2 on the first lap and the pace of his car in a straight line.
“The best starting position is probably P3,” said Wolff.
“We saw that last year and the years before, so P4 isn’t a disaster. On the contrary, it can even open up opportunities. “
When asked by Motorsport.com about Russell’s performance and the given chances that he will start in P3, Wolff gave the Williams driver a tip that he might lead early in Sochi.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if George leads the race after Turn 2,” said Wolff.
“And that will be a lot of fun. As long as Lewis can make up positions, the present and the future would run on P1 and P2.
“But joking aside, [Russell] did a great job today. He took massive risks by pitting first for the softs, but just as where he was, likely eighth or ninth in qualifying, this was right on Williams and George’s side.
“But you still have to take it home and that’s what he did.”
Wolff also noted Hamilton’s current teammate Valtteri Bottas for his pace in practice on Friday before anticipating the order in the race.
“With Valtteri his pace was tremendous yesterday, the fastest long-run pace on the hards,” said Wolff.
“I expect a good result for him.”
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