Mercedes team boss: "Wouldn't surprise me to see Russell in the lead"

"It wouldn't surprise me to see George in the lead after Turn 2," said Wolff, who could enjoy that situation. "It would be fun to watch as well. If Lewis manages to capture positions as well, we would have the present and the future of the team in the top-two at that point."

In 2022, Russell will drive alongside Hamilton for the team of Mercedes. The young Briton will try to keep his new teammate behind him for as long as possible. Hamilton will have to get to the front on Sunday at the Sochi circuit under his own steam because he will not be expecting any gifts from Russell.

The Austrian Mercedes team boss saw Russell be the first to opt for the dry weather tyres in qualifying; a choice that turned out to be a great one. "He took the risk of going in first for slicks. Otherwise he would have finished eighth or ninth, but he and Williams were not satisfied, and they pushed hard to get the best result and then this is the result of that," Wolff told FormulaPassion.it.