“He lets Lewis Hamilton get away with it”: George Russell jokingly shares how his dynamics vary with Toto Wolff as compared to his teammate

George Russell feels that Toto Wolff can sometimes be more controlling towards him than Lewis Hamilton in protecting him from things that could affect his racing.

Lewis Hamilton became a part of Mercedes in the 2013 season and since has been close to the team's principal, Toto Wolff. Throughout the decade, their relationship has grown strong, winning multiple world championships and setting history as one of the most dominant teams witnessed in F1 history.

After being close for so long, there is an apparent difference in how Wolff treats Hamilton; and it is different from how he treats his teammate, George Russell.

Speaking on Formula 1's Beyond The Grid podcast, George Russell revealed that Toto Wolff is sometimes more controlling of him, especially when taking care of himself.

The Briton was sharing his interest and experience in other sports when he mentioned that Wolff would sometimes restrict him from doing certain things because of safety, but at the same time, would let Lewis Hamilton do it.

"I was talking with Toto before the break and I said ‘I want to try this and try that’ and Toto is one who does a lot of activities, but I think he sort of lets Lewis get away with it, but when it comes to me he’s like: ‘No, you’ve got to be careful of this.'"

"'If you jump on that foil board, really good chance of hurting yourself or if you go skiing, there’s a really, really good chance of hurting yourself’ – and he’s totally right, but I just sort of had a bit of a mentality that I can’t wrap myself up in bubble wrap."

It can be seen that the Mercedes team principal is concerned for their young driver, which is probably a good thing. The reason why he is easier with Lewis Hamilton could be because of his vast experience in the sport.

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Toto Wolff reveals he feels the need to 'protect' Lewis Hamilton

The seven-time world champion has been trying to chase his eighth F1 title since the 2021 season but has only gotten far from it. Although he looks to be in a battle for the second position this season, there is no way that he is closer to the top. While Max Verstappen has been setting new limits to the sport, Lewis Hamilton has become a target of critics.

Many believe that the 'magic' that the Briton had was from the very dominant car he had, and since he does not have that now, he is unable to win. Wolff feels that he has to 'protect' Hamilton because of the critics, and continues to believe that he is the best driver.

"I need to protect him, because people have started to offend him, which is not right. It's complete nonsense, he's the best driver of all time. I pinch myself every day for working with the best of all time."