Wolff's RISKY Hamilton decision made even more uncertain by Russell

Mercedes’ George Russell was left ruing a “missed opportunity” as he finished third in Sunday’s Canadian Prix.

The Brit started on pole after topping the timesheets with a stellar performance in qualifying but, in a frenzied race which underwent several significant changes in order due to tumultuous weather conditions, he could only finish behind winner Max Verstappen and second-placed Lando Norris in the McLaren.

The 26-year-old did secure his place on the podium with a late overtake on team-mate Lewis Hamilton, but the way he managed his race also went some way to demonstrating the deficiencies which remain in his skillset when compared with his departing colleague.

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When Hamilton leaves Mercedes to join Ferrari at the end of 2024, the Silver Arrows will lose not just a seven-time world champion whose pace, racecraft and ability to deliver in the most crucial moments are among the greatest motorsport has ever known, but a bona fide team leader who for over a decade has set the tone on team radio and in the paddock.

With teenage sensation Andrea Kimi Antonelli set to make the step up to Formula 1 by taking Hamilton’s seat from 2025 onwards, Mercedes will know full well that their second driver id going to require a year or two of learning the ropes before being comfortable enough to demonstrate the full extent of his talent.

That means that in a post-Hamilton world the responsibility will lay with Russell to take on the mantle of both delivering maximum results in the car on Sundays while also using his leadership skills to guide the team forward off track.

He auditioned for the role well on Saturday by putting the car on pole and following it up with a Hamilton-esque speech on the radio about his “pride” in the developments the team and staff members at the factory had made in recent months.

So far, so good. But on Sunday the performance went from Olivier award to fluffed lines.

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Twice Russell made errors from a position of strength. First he slid over the kerb at Turn 8 while hunting down Verstappen in first place, dropping behind the McLarens. Then he tried an audacious move around the outside of Oscar Piastri following the final safety car restart, on fresher tyres than the young Australian, but clattered into the side of his rival and lost a place to Hamilton behind as he took to the run-off area.

He repassed both Piastri and Hamilton - who was on a harder compound of tyre - within a few laps, but lost significant ground on the leading pair and threw away what seemed to be an almost certain second place and an outside chance of the race victory.

Team principal Toto Wolff even interjected after the first error, imploring Russell to “focus, George. Focus!” Afterwards on Sky Sports F1 the Austrian admitted that there were “one or two [errors] we could have avoided” and that Russell had been “a bit too ambitious.”

Mercedes could certainly have won at Montreal. The upgrades the team has delivered at recent race weekends have propelled the team closer to Red Bull, McLaren and Ferrari, and unique nature of the track seem to suit the characteristics of their W15.

And Russell deserves huge credit for making sure he was the one competing for the victory rather than Hamilton, having delivered in tough circumstances on Saturday and managed the first stint well on surface which was shifting wildly from wet to dry and back again. Indeed, Russell has been the stronger driver of the two overall so far this season.

But in a couple of key moments his inexperience at the very front of the field told.

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Where Hamilton has spent so many years mastering the arts of holding a lead, dealing with unexpected changes of circumstances, and chasing down rivals for wins, Russell’s three years at Mercedes so far have largely been spent toiling in the midfield with the aim of scoring the occasional podium. Indeed, this is Mercedes’ first podium of 2024 so far.

A tendency to perhaps overthink crucial moments which could lead to a win, then, is entirely understandable for a driver who has taken victory once before but has otherwise not been given the machinery with which to build up the required experience.

Russell will no doubt learn from the disappointment, but for now Wolff is presented with a tough proposition.

Once Hamilton has gone, his team will be facing the future without the knowhow which has powered them to unprecedented success at the top of Formula 1.

Mercedes’ two seats will be occupied by extremely talented young drivers who no doubt have the potential to become world champions, but Wolff and his colleagues are going to have to accept that - in the early days at least – both Russell and Antonelli are going to have to be given time to learn how to consistently compete out front.

For Russell, the disappointment of his Montreal mistakes will sting for now, but his job is to ensure he harnesses them on his way to becoming the all-round Hamilton heir the team needs.

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