Russell to Merc his mark
GEORGE RUSSELL is relishing the prospect of racing wheel to wheel with Lewis Hamilton next season if he lands a dream move to Mercedes.
Hamilton confirmed he would be staying with the team for a further two years at the Austrian Grand Prix two weeks ago.
And Russell, 23, is still waiting to hear more on his future after Mercedes boss Toto Wolff refused to rule him out as a replacement for Valtteri Bottas for 2022.
The Brit is a free agent at the end of the year when his deal with Williams expires.
Russell, who finished an amazing seventh in qualifying for today’s sprint race, insists he would love the chance to test himself against the best at the front.
“Lewis is still going to be on the top of his game and is still doing an excellent job,” he said.
“You want to be racing against the best and Lewis is probably the greatest of all time and still is going incredibly strong.
“It’s just great to have him stay in for another couple of years.”
Russell impressed on his debut for Mercedes last season as he stepped in for Hamilton at the Sakhir Grand Prix after the seven-time world champion contracted Covid-19.
The Mercedes junior driver nearly won the race ahead of Bottas, a poor pitstop and a puncture robbing Russell of the chance for a victorious debut.
He added: “I just want the opportunity to be fighting in front of the grid and show what I can do.
“It’s obviously been tough, being at the back of the grid for the past couple of years and working my socks off with the Williams team to try and push the team forward.
“I’m here to win and I want to win so I just want to give myself the best possible chance to do that next year.”