Wolff: 'I'm hoping for some terrible British weather'

Wolff described Russell’s performance as “beyond the pale” while painting a cautious but pessimistic picture of the overall picture.

“We thought the Ferrari would close the front row but George had a great lap in every sector, especially Turns 3 and 4,” said Wolff, who welcomed the result.

"To be realistic, we won the race in Montreal and then we were out. At Silverstone, the cooling weather was supposed to be good for us but it didn't happen. Still, we're only 0.15 seconds off pole, so it's not a disaster," he said.

"I'm really hoping for some terrible English weather," Wolff said, recalling that Mercedes performs better in cold weather. He also noted Sunday's weather conditions.

The team boss was optimistic about tyre wear, joking: “If we manage to overheat the tyres at 15 degrees then we really do have a problem.”

"He made some mistakes last year but he's been very solid this season. He doesn't make mistakes, he delivers when he needs to, he's strong in the races. We can't fault him," said Wolff, who praised Russell's steady rise.

Speaking about the young pilot Antonelli, Wolff particularly highlighted his interest in data analysis and his direct work with Peter Bonnington, saying: "He is our apprentice wizard. It is difficult to build trust in windy conditions, but we give him space."