“2022 would be the right time for a change” – Will George Russell replace Lewis Hamilton or Valtteri Bottas at Mercedes, or will he not get the ‘promotion’ he craves for?
George Russell has been tipped as the next big thing in Formula 1. The Mercedes junior currently drives for Williams and is completely focused on the job at hand. However, speaking to Marca, he did hint at signals of a possible Mercedes opportunity, possibly next year itself.
“Right now my head is completely with this team, with Williams. By the middle of the year, we should have an idea of how things will go for me.
“I am concentrating on my work and progressing and then at some point my opportunity will come. But there are no promises for 2022.”
Will George Russell get his Mercedes opportunity in 2022?
As of now, it looks like a long shot, with Toto Wolff happy with both Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas. But both the drivers have a single-season contract, which could play in the hands of Russell. The young driver makes a valid point of teams looking for ‘change’ from 2022 when the drastic new regulations kick in.
“It can be argued that 2022 would be the right time for a change, but as I say, it is not for me to decide. If there is an opportunity like the one there was in Bahrain last year, of course, I will seize it with both hands. Toto told me that I am part of the future at Mercedes and I take his words at face value.”
