The Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team confirmed that George Russell will become teammate to reigning seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, beginning next season as the sport enters a new era of technical regulations.
This confirmation follows the news that Valtteri Bottas will join Alfa Romeo Racing next year, after five highly successful seasons with Mercedes.
Russell, 23, joined the Mercedes Young Driver Program in 2017. Russell won that season’s GP3 Series championship, and became FIA Formula 2 champion the following year, before graduating to Formula One with Williams in 2019.
His work ethic and performance have continued to impress during his three seasons with Williams; he is now ready to make the step to Mercedes and to continue his career development alongside Lewis Hamilton, after signing a long-term contract with the team.
“It’s a special day for me personally and professionally, but also a day of mixed emotions. I’m excited and humbled to be joining Mercedes next year, which is a huge career step, but it also means I’ll be saying goodbye to my team-mates and friends at Williams,” Russell said. “It has been an honor working alongside every member of the team, and an honor to represent the Williams name in F-1.”
Russell knows the pressure will be on at Mercedes.
“It’s a huge opportunity and one I want to grab with both hands,” Russell said. “But I’m under no illusions as to the scale of the challenge; it’s going to be a steep learning curve. Valtteri has set a high bar, consistently delivering week in and week out, scoring wins, pole positions and helping win multiple championship titles.”