“We could see when he was a kid already that he coped well with pressure,” said Wolff. “There were examples of drivers who made such a big jump. Not only Kimi, but the other Kimi comes to my mind – Kimi Raikkonen. He went straight from Formula Renault to F1.
“He jumped everything in between and was successful. There is no doubt he has the talent, the ability, the skills – and now it’s about allowing him space to grow up within this crazy tough ruthless environment and we will protect him and allow him to grow.
“We expect difficult moments. People will doubt. We will see highlights also. Kimi will be the real deal in a while, maybe not yet.”
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He added: “Italy is a racing country. There is a starvation of young drivers who were given an opportunity in the top car. He has that opportunity. I think Italy will go bananas with the next superstar.
“I also told him this is the last week you’re living in animosity. The moment this is out, it won’t be that easy to go out for pizza because people will recognise you.”
‘George has all he needs to step in the more senior role’
Wolff’s decision to take a chance on a rookie was helped by the fact Russell has stepped up his game in recent times and proved to the team that he is capable of leading the squad when Hamilton departs.
“George is in his seventh year,” said Wolff, who brought Russell into F1 with Williams before promoting him to Mercedes after three seasons. “He’s always had a wise mind in a young boy’s body. He’s very reflective, self-critical in the degree that is important for not having an ego run away.
