Wolff insists Mercedes ‘never had’ a number 1 driver

Toto Wolff has said Mercedes had always given drivers “equal opportunities” to perform, and admitted George Russell will bring a new dynamic to the team this season.

Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas spent five seasons together in which the Briton was often the dominant force within the team, with the Finn usually playing second fiddle when push came to shove on several occasions – but mostly at points when his own title chances had fallen away each year.

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Bottas also had to move aside for Hamilton on multiple occasions in 2021, when he and Max Verstappen were fighting tooth-and-nail for race victories throughout an enthralling year, with Bottas a distant 161.5 points behind his team-mate come season’s end.

Russell’s arrival is expected to give Hamilton a fresh challenge within the team, with the highly-rated youngster potentially coming in with a chance to prove his talent alongside the seven-time World Champion.

F1 2022. He's ready. Are you? pic.twitter.com/AHsM1JnCpx

— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) February 20, 2022

There could be cause for friction if the two end up battling for the title, but Wolff said previously that Hamilton and Russell’s dynamic, at least to start with, will resemble the “wizard and the sorcerer’s apprentice” – but will still offer them equal chances to succeed.

Wolff admitted that “we don’t even know if we’re going to be in the