George Russell new teammate of Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes

The game of musical chairs continues in Formula 1. After the departure of Valtteri Bottas from Alfa Romeo to replace Kimi Räikkönen, Mercedes recruits George Russell who will team up with his compatriot Lewis Hamilton. It was the British pilot who announced it on his social networks on Tuesday, September 7. « It’s official. Next season I will be a Mercedes driver in F1. It’s a special day for me.« 

Since his F1 debut in 2019 at Williams, George Russell has proven to be a promising driver. Driving a limited single-seater, he often outstripped his teammates and clinched second place in qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix in August, the best qualifying result for a Williams since 2014. This starting position had enabled him , thanks to the rainy scenario of the race stopped before having really started, to climb for the first time on the podium.

George Russell has already driven a Silver Arrow in the race, during the Sakhir Grand Prix in 2020, replacing Lewis Hamilton, who was positive for Covid-19. While he was in the lead, a mistake by the Mercedes mechanics when passing through the pits, followed by a slow puncture, deprived him of his first podium. He still scored his first points in Formula 1 with a 9th place.

Next season, he will team up with the seven-time world champion, praising him: « George is an incredibly talented driver. His qualifying lap last week (at Spa) was great. I think he’s humble and has a good approach. […] He is the future of this sport. He has already shown he has a great ride and I’m sure he will continue to improve « Lewis Hamilton said in the preamble to the Dutch Grand Prix last weekend. His compatriot returned the favor when he announced his appointment by referring to him as « of the greatest pilot of all time« He will therefore become his teammate, but also perhaps his first opponent.