Hamilton, Russell, Verstappen: Toto Wolff ranks current F1 drivers

Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff has ranked his top three current Formula 1 drivers, and has placed George Russell above current world champion Max Verstappen – though that’s perhaps not too surprising.

The Silver Arrows and Red Bull were embroiled in a titanic battle for both the Constructors’ and Drivers’ championships last season, and in the end the spoils were shared.

Mercedes made it 8 titles in a row for themselves as a team, whilst Max Verstappen won his first-ever crown.

Certainly, it was a fight and battle that got heated at times but it does sound as though Wolff still has firm respect for Max’s talents behind the wheel of a racing car, with him ranking his current top 3 in the sport.

Speaking to Sport Bild he was asked for his top three drivers in F1 currently and he produced an answer that we, perhaps, could have predicted:

“Hamilton, George Russell and Max Verstappen. In that order.”

Lewis Hamilton is someone that Wolff has already labelled as one of the greatest drivers ever, and so it’s probably no shock he picks him as number one.

Then, Russell has arrived at Mercedes for this season so he’s hardly going to knock his new man down already – and you’d probably say whoever was in the Mercedes seat alongside Lewis this season would have been picked by Wolff as no.2.

Then, of course, he has the choice of the other 18 drivers in the pack and, given Max is world champion and he pushed Mercedes so hard last year, it’s no surprise Wolff has put rivalry aside to doff his cap to the Dutchman.

He ranks Russell above Verstappen, meanwhile, and George will have to surely take that as a confidence boost no matter the context.