Toto Wolff has allayed fears about the rocky patch struck by Mercedes driver George Russell last year.

In 2022, Russell's first season alongside Lewis Hamilton, the 25-year-old looked a match for his seven time world champion teammate.

Former F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone, however, observed after the 2023 season: "Lewis Hamilton slacked off a bit, and George Russell wasn't as good as he thought he was."

Team boss Wolff doesn't agree, even though Russell freely admitted at the tail-end of last year that it had been "one of the worst seasons of my career".

However, Russell - who unlike Hamilton was present for Wolff's private 52nd birthday celebrations last Friday - clearly still has the backing of his boss.

"When you do well and expectations get high, life gets complicated," Wolff told La Gazzetta dello Sport. "But I don't see any pressure on him.

"George is a young, strong driver, racing on a team with the best driver and challenging him, trying to beat him while he learns," the Austrian added.

"But he has met all our expectations. When I think of his age and talent, he is someone I would always want on one of my teams." body check tags ::