Wolff doesn't feel harmony is necessary in a team: 'Respect more important'

Many Formula 1 fans are looking forward to the moment that George Russell makes his move to Mercedes. Will the atmosphere between him and Lewis Hamilton soon turn grim, as it did earlier with Nico Rosberg and Fernando Alonso? Toto Wolff doesn't worry too much about it and even doubts that a harmonious atmosphere is necessary within a team.

Russell is not expected to be passive, nor will he just let himself be put in the role of second driver. That could cause some friction between teammates, but the Mercedes team principal doesn't think that's a problem. "I don't even know if it's necessary to have harmony in a team," said the 49-year-old Austrian according to Motorsport-Total.com.

"We have to treat each other with respect within a team to ensure the success of the drivers and of the team. The situation between Nico and Lewis had a whole history that we didn't know about. But you can learn a lot from situations where it didn't work out, like the one between Alonso and Hamilton," Wolff said, looking back at the strained relations between Hamilton and his teammates in the past.