“He’s got to build up to it, otherwise he’s going to shoot himself in the foot. You can’t be too confident alongside Lewis.”
At present, Russell may not be too confident that his prospective partnership with Hamilton will even see the light of day, with Wolff refusing to confirm whether the defeated Brit will return for the 2022 season.
The controversial nature of Verstappen’s world title victory at Yas Marina is said to have taken its toll on the 36-year-old, with FIA race director Michael Masi coming under fire for what Mercedes termed a ‘freestyle reading of the rules’.
With the wounds of last weekend still fresh, Wolff and Hamilton snubbed the FIA’s prize-giving gala in Paris altogether, with Verstappen and Red Bull boss Christian Horner both in attendance.