When Valtteri Bottas signed on the dotted line last year to extend his stay with Mercedes, it bothered a few people. Not to say the Finn does not merit his race seat at the best team currently, but they simply wished to see their own Academy product, George Russell, alongside Lewis Hamilton.

His candidature for the drive at Mercedes is as strong as it gets. He’s impressed everyone after performing strongly with backmarkers Williams.

However, George Russell is not getting too impatient. He believes his time will come, plus he has faith in his long-time representative, Toto Wolff. In a launch video with Sky Sports, he said –

“Mercedes and Toto have always had my back. They have believed in me from day 1 and, when they believe the time’s right, the time will be right. So, I am not hassling them. I’m just going out there doing my job on the track and what comes in the future will come.”

His solitary drive in Bahrain with the Silver Arrows did not harm his chances either. But, as of now, his mind is only occupied on the season ahead with Williams.

“Obviously, I had the great opportunity in Bahrain last year. For now, just focussing on the job here at Williams for this season and trying to get as much out of it.”

Russell would love to put himself against ‘benchmark’ Hamilton at Mercedes

The rumours regarding Lewis Hamilton’s potential exit from the sport never die down. After all, he’s only signed with Mercedes for the season ahead and could leave after securing a record eighth world title. But, if you were to ask George, he would rather compete against him than replace him.

“Every driver wants to put themselves against the best, obviously. I believe in myself and Lewis is the benchmark at the moment,” said Russell.

With a speculative mindset, we can say that a Mercedes drive is just around the corner for him. He is still young and when his time comes, we have no doubt that he will grab the opportunity with both hands.

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