CAN RUSSELL RUFFLE SOME FEATHERS?
F1’s worst-kept secret was officially unveiled after last year’s Dutch GP, when George Russell earned the promotion of a lifetime to join Mercedes alongside Lewis Hamilton. Following Russell’s hugely impressive one-off for the Brackley squad at the 2020 Sakhir GP, it was only a matter of time before Valtteri Bottas made way for the British youngster, and the sudden glut of results for Williams made getting Russell in for 2022 a no-brainer.
Not predisposed to approaching the media with any semblance of poker face, Russell’s demeanour suggested a deal was struck during the summer break (if not before), so his points-scoring heroics simply proved to be the cherry on the cake.
He’ll be hoping that Mercedes is able to make the most of the 2022 regulations and, although the consensus is that he’ll be looking to learn from Hamilton before the seven-time champion eventually calls it a day, there’s no chance that Russell will be content to play second fiddle. Hamilton enjoyed having Bottas as his back-up, knowing that the Finn probably couldn’t challenge him over a full season, and Russell’s arrival could push Hamilton outside his comfort zone. That can go one of two ways: it might light a fire under Hamilton and catapult him to an even greater echelon, or degenerate into an intra-team war of Rosbergian proportions. Although the latter is great for TV, it’s probably not Russell’s style.
After five years at Mercedes, Bottas takes up a new challenge at Alfa Romeo to lead the Swiss squad back up the order. Alfa was close to an Andretti takeover during the course of 2021, but disagreements over control nipped any sale in the bud, underlining the increasing value that F1 teams are continuing to accrue.
Given his ability to match Hamilton on pace, Bottas is a big coup for Alfa, but must get on top of racing among the pack once more. If the car’s good, Bottas will prove a reliable source of points – perfect for a midfield team with dreams of breaking into the top half of the constructors’standings.