Russell contradicts Wolff: 'The word 'diva' is an understatement'

George Russell doesn't quite agree with the words of his team boss Toto Wolff, who calls the problematic Mercedes car a 'diva'. According to Russell, that is far too soft a word for the 'merciless' W13.

"Toto is throwing the word ‘diva’ around a lot about the car - but that is an understatement," Russell stated to The Independent. By this he is referring to the unpredictability of the car, which continues to be plagued by porpoising.

The British driver acknowledges that the car has potential, but that this is completely hidden by the severe bouncing he continues to experience with the W13. "When the thing starts bouncing, going into corners, it is a killer to drive," he continued.

As a result, Russell doesn't understand why the potential suddenly seemed to reveal itself during the second free practice session on Friday. He calls the FP2 result an outlier, because on Saturday and Sunday the apparent progress seemed to be completely erased again. By driving a smart race, the Mercedes driver nevertheless managed to climb from a twelfth starting place to P5.