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In a tantalizing 2022 F1 Brazilian Grand Prix, George Russell came out victorious as he clinched his career's first Formula 1 Grand Prix win. The Briton kept pushing throughout the race and kept the lead during the finals laps of the race.
Toto Wolff, Mercedes' Team Principal, was delighted with the team's result and with George. After the race, Toto revealed what the late Niki Lauda had to say about George Russell.
In 2017, when Russell was still in F3, Niki Lauda commended the youngster and told Toto Woff that he would do well in the future.
Toto Wolff said:
"Something that I remember is that during George's [title winning campaign in] F3, it was the only podium that Niki ever visited. He said: 'He's going to become a good one'."
The legendary driver Niki Lauda was with Mercedes as a non-executive chairman. Since Russell was part of the Mercedes driver's program, Niki saw great potential in the Briton and conveyed it to Toto Wolff.
Toto further reminisced on how George Russell wasn't able to win in Bahrain during the 2020 F1 Sakhir Grand Prix due to a pitstop mistake from the team.
However, he kept working hard and got his maiden F1 victory. Toto appreciated George Russell's drive and how he kept Lewis Hamilton behind. Wolff said:
"[George] had the chance to win in Bahrain a few years ago [subbing for COVID-hit Hamilton], and now he's just brought it home. He had a fantastic day. He withstood the pressure [from Lewis] at the end and it was really great."
George Russell survived a DNF at 2022 F1 Brazilian GP, says Toto Wolff
After George Russell's maiden victory at the 2022 F1 Brazilian Grand Prix, Toto Wolff came out and revealed how the 24-year-old's car had an issue.
Though Russell's car looked faultless on the surface, the Mercedes boss explained how it had a water leak right from the start of the race.
The team knew about the issue, but chose not to disclose it to the driver as it would have distracted him from the race.
Toto Wolff said:
"We had a water leak on the car throughout the race, and it wasn't clear whether we could actually make it to the end. We talked about it on the intercom, and we all agreed that we were going to let him drive to the end, even without water, and just try to finish the race."
Toto also expressed how the small issue was quite concerning, especially during the closing stages of the race.
Thankfully, the water leak didn't cause any major issues that prevented Russell from getting a DNF. Additionally, George Russell's pace didn't slag off as he kept Lewis Hamilton at least a second behind at all times during the final laps.
