Russell on Mercedes: "No doubt Hamilton had the best car"

There is quite a lot going on around the Mercedes seat alongside Lewis Hamilton. Toto Wolff has already stated that it's between George Russell and Valtteri Bottas, but seems to be waiting as long as possible until he ties the knot. If it's up to Russell, he's ready to take over from Bottas.

Russell is ready for the challenge of a top team

The young Briton is currently on his third season at Williams, and in his own words, is all set to move to a top team. "I believe in myself and I'm ready to fight for wins and championships," he told Autocar.

That he is capable of producing a good result with the Mercedes was evident in Bahrain in 2020, when he was allowed to fill in for Lewis Hamilton. "That was a huge challenge and I was thrown in at the deep end without any preparation," Russell continued. "That did prove how difficult it is to change cars and get up to speed. The weekend went well, but I don't think I maximized my performance. That's normal when you try something new."

Due to his good performance in Bahrain, some considered it proven that Hamilton's talent was overrated by the superior Mercedes, but according to Russell, the truth lies somewhere in the middle. "The best drivers are usually in the best car," said the Williams driver. "There's no doubt that Lewis had the best car the last couple of years, but in tricky conditions he's the one who doesn't drop the ball and can sometimes pull something out of the bag."