F1 News: Toto Wolff says Russell finishing ahead of Hamilton in 2022 is "irrelevant"
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has explained why nobody in the team is particularly fussed about Russell scoring more points than Hamilton in 2022.
The Silver Arrows failed to replicate their dominant start to the hybrid era with the 2022 regulations, falling significantly behind Red Bull in terms of performance.
George Russell and Lewis Hamilton eventually claimed the win for Mercedes at the Brazilian GP, securing the German squad's only victory of the season.
Whilst showing signs of promise and potential, the Mercedes W13 ultimately lacked the pace to compete regularly at the very front.
In any case, George Russell deserves immense credit for finishing ahead of Lewis Hamilton in the overall standings.
It cannot be swept aside that Hamilton spent a significant part of the year experimenting with set-ups - and thus sacrificing laptime - but this does not detract from Russell's feat.
Grand Prix like Spain and Hungary demonstrated - on pure pace - Hamilton still enjoys an advantage over his teammate, but Russell is still within touching distance.
Few would expected the 24-year-old to hold his own against Hamilton in his first year at Mercedes. But this is precisely what he did.
Still, Toto Wolff says there is little concern within the team about which driver finished ahead this year:
"They weren't fighting for the championship. Apart from Brazil, they did not compete for the victory.
"I don't think anyone in the team cares if they finish second, third, fourth or fifth."
Frankly speaking, it is unsprurisng that Mercedes has this mentality after spending the best part of a decade dominating F1.
Lewis Hamilton has also commented that he's unconcerned about finishing behind Russell this year, though he was clear that the situation would not be the same in a title fight.
With the 2023 season approaching, the question is whether Mercedes can raise the stakes in this inter-team battle and produce a title-challenging car next year.