Russell finally gets Mercedes chance

In a sport like Formula 1, where money talks louder than any other commodity, it’s not often that common sense prevails. But in the case of George Russell and Mercedes, F1 could have a major boon on its hands after the German manufacturer announced it will field a British superteam from 2022.

Russell will line-up alongside seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton in a Silver Arrows next year, replacing Valtteri Bottas, who will move across to Alfa Romeo to replace the retiring Kimi Räikkönen. The switch has been a long time coming, with Bottas never looking like a solid title contender to Lewis across his five years with Mercedes. His consistency has helped Merc to dominance in the Constructors’ Championship, but in a way it has also robbed F1 of a genuine title fight for many years.

Russell isn’t your usual F1 driver. He’s clawed his way up the ranks and repeatedly outperformed his back-of-the-grid Williams. Mercedes’ next task will be to manage two talented and competitive drivers to try and avoid a repeat of the Hamilton-Rosberg days.

From fan to team-mate: A young Russell awaits an autograph from Hamilton at a 2009 karting event 

ALAMY, MIRRORPIX VIA GETTY IMAGES, JAYSON FONG