Toto Wolff shares Lewis Hamilton’s private message about car as Russell comes out on top

Toto Wolff has shared Lewis Hamilton‘s private message about car as Russell comes out on top at the Spanish Grand Prix.

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has explained the promising feedback Lewis Hamilton gave him after Saturday’s qualifying session for the Spanish Grand Prix. Hamilton will start the race in P6, while George Russell will be on the second row after the W13 car showed no signs of the straight-line bouncing that has impacted both so far this season.

Hamilton has spent an alien period of time amongst the midfield in 2022, with Ferrari and Red Bull leaving Mercedes behind at the start of a new era. But the Silvers Arrows have been competitive at the front of the grid so far this weekend, which has given hope they can make a late entrance into the championship battle.

After qualifying, Wolff revealed that Hamilton had given him glowing feedback about the W13’s performance in Barcelona. He told Sky Sports: “He says that the car finally drives like a Formula One car, and I think this is the best feedback you can get from a driver.”

Despite his positive reaction to the car, Hamilton was bettered in qualifying by his team-mate Russell for the third time this season. And Wolff has heaped praise on Mercedes’ latest pairing, particularly for how Russell has started life as a full-time Silver Arrows driver.

“Yeah, very much [pleased] because you can see the next generation coming up,” Wolff added. “The way George has integrated into the team, working with Lewis and learning from Lewis is great. I couldn’t wish for a greater driver pairing. The pair is there, and that is what we would have hoped for.”

Speaking to Sky Sports himself after qualifying, Hamilton lauded Mercedes for the work put in to improve the W13 car’s ‘porpoising’ issues ahead of the race weekend at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. And the seven-time world champion hopes he and Russell can compete for podium spots, at the very least, with Ferrari in Sunday’s Grand Prix.

“The team have done a great job, so a big, big thank you to everyone for keeping pushing back at the factory,” Hamilton explained. “We don’t have bouncing in a straight line which is a huge improvement for us, and the car has generally been nicer this weekend. We do have some bouncing through the high-speed corners, so we just need to keep working on it and see if we can gain some downforce elsewhere.”

He continued: “Yesterday was our best race pace that we have had, so if we could start racing with the Ferraris, for example, that would be amazing. I think the Red Bulls look like they might be quickest, but we look like we could maybe compete with the Ferraris tomorrow, and that is a big step for us.”

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