Toto Wolff has said George Russell is Formula 1's most resilient driver -- and that it is far too early to write him out of the title race despite a dramatic race retirement in Canada.
Russell was leading in Montreal when his car slowed to a halt on Lap 30, handing teammate Kimi Antonelli victory and an unanswered 25 points.
It was Italian wonderkid Antonelli's fourth straight race win and has extended his advantage over Russell to 43 points, a massive lead early on in the season.
Russell said on Sunday he felt as though the racing gods have been against him so far this year, but Wolff said there is no-one in F1 better at dealing with setbacks.
"Things have been going against him in the last few races," Wolff said on Sunday. "Today certainly would have been big points to collect. He was in the lead, but, you know, if there's one guy that I would choose in this paddock in terms of resilience and determination, that would be George.
"He's had to overcome adversity previously, whether it's from karting or junior formulas, and he's not going to give up that fight. Honestly, there's 17 races to go. So many points to score. Wake up tomorrow and digest, forget, move on, move forward and drive the best you can. And that's exactly what he's going to do."
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Mercedes has not yet confirmed what caused Russell's DNF.
When asked if he will talk to Russell before the Monaco Grand Prix to get a gauge of where his head is at, Wolff said: "I speak to George every day, and we're travelling back together tonight. So lots of time to talk, as always. But, you know, the best ones, they don't end up in Formula 1 because they just happen to win a few races, they end up there because they have that resilience.
"You don't win championships in junior formulas or in karting if you haven't got the resilience. All of them will have had massive setbacks, so he. So I think this is about really digesting, sleeping over it.
"And there's nothing he could have done more than what he did today. And maybe that, at least, is a positive thought."
