Wolff also calls Verstappen a phenomenon: 'That is very rare'

After five seasons of Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas, there will finally be a change in the line-up at Mercedes. Toto Wolff is expecting a lot from the arrival of George Russell, but also thinks Bottas will do very well at Alfa Romeo.

In 2022 Russell will finally make the switch to Mercedes. The young Brit already drove three seasons for Williams and made quite an impression there. Mercedes however refused for a long time, so Russell had to settle for a place at the back of the grid. The current Williams driver will be very much looking forward to his move.

At Mercedes, however, Russell does not have to count on any special treatment, according to Wolff in advance. ''I expect him to fit well into the Mercedes system. That means he has to learn. It doesn't matter if he is slower or faster than Lewis or at the same level. He has to be a team player. With us, the team is the star, not an individual,'' the Mercedes team boss said opposite Speedweek.com.

Bottas will be the new driver at Alfa Romeo in 2022 and Wolff expects his pupil to do well there. ''I expect him to take the lead there. He can take the team forward. He is certainly not a phenomenon like Lewis or Max, which is very rare, but recently in Turkey, for example, he did drive better than those two'', concludes the Austrian.