F1 News
Wolff admits Hamilton is "not in good shape"
- GPblog.com
George Russell made an immediate impression on his debut for Mercedes. In the first free practice session, where the British rider replaced Lewis Hamilton, Russell was the fastest of the session. Valtteri Bottas had to settle for P4.
Bottas breaks down car
Because Hamilton tested positive for coronavirus, Russell is driving for Mercedes this weekend. The Brit has already had a year and a half of experience at Williams, but is now really allowed to take the lead. Russell was able to make that step quickly, because in the first session he was faster than everyone else.
''I think he handled it very well. He also knows that he has to perform with this car and that he has to get into it quietly. He has done that well, but the longruns were very difficult for the team," Toto Wolff said to Sky. This was of course an important moment for Valtteri Bottas, because he would have to lead the team.
Hamilton not good in a good shape
''Valtteri soon broke down his car at the beginning of the session and you could tell by his rounds. So we didn't see Valtteri in the best car in this session, but I don't want to take anything away from George's performance. We just want to see how he handles the pressure and then he will go back to Williams and learn from this situation,'' said Wolff.
''He's not in good shape. COVID-19 is not something we should not take seriously, but he is in safe hands and that is the most important thing in the first few days. Certainly if you are not so good in those first few days," concluded the Austrian.