George Russell: Mercedes sign British F1 driver to partner Lewis Hamilton from 2022

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Since his 2019 debut, Russell has been one of F1’s brightest stars.

The team has announced that George Russell will be Lewis Hamilton's partner at Mercedes starting next season.

The Briton, aged 23 years old, replaces Valtteri bottas, who moved to Alfa Romeo in 2022.

After three years at Williams, Russell joined Mercedes. He has already proven his ability to be a member of a top team.

Russell stated that he was "absolutely buzzing” at the moment.

"I have no illusions about the magnitude of the challenge. It's going be a steep learning curve."

Toto Wolff, principal of Mercedes, said that George has won in every category of racing - and that the past three seasons with Williams have shown us what the future might hold for him in F1.

This move is not without its consequences. Russell, a Mercedes protege from 2017, has become one of F1's brightest young stars since his debut in 2019.

His standout performances have been outstanding for a team that has one of the slowest cars on the grid. He was most notable for qualifying second in the rain at last month's Belgian Grand Prix.

Russell affirmed his credentials to be a world champion when he replaced Hamilton at the Sakhir Grand Prix last year after Hamilton contracted Covid. Russell was poised to win the race, until the team made an error at the pit stop.

Wolff, who didn't reveal the length Russell's contract, expressed gratitude to Bottas for his achievements and contributions over five years at Mercedes. He said: "This wasn't an easy or straightforward decision for us."

He said that he believes Russell and Hamilton will work well together in the future.

Wolff stated, "It's our challenge together that George continue learning in our environment and alongside Lewis the greatest F1 driver ever,"

"I believe that their relationship will grow and they will be a strong team. They will deliver Mercedes on the track and off-track in the future."

Russell stated that he was "mixed emotions" from three seasons at Williams. He said he loved every minute of it.

He said, "It's an enormous opportunity and one that I want to grab with all my hands."

"My goal must be to repay the trust that Toto and the team have placed in me and ensure that I play my part to continue that success. I want to make my new team-mates proud.

"Ofcourse, one of those team-mates is in mine opinion the greatest driver ever.

"I have looked up to Lewis ever since I was in go karts. The opportunity to learn from someone who is a role model on and off track will only benefit me as an driver, a professional and a person."

Alpha Tauri, an F1 team, announced Tuesday that they would continue with Pierre Gasly from France and Yuki Tsunoda from Japan in 2022.