George Russell says he has been entertained by the calls and messages he and Mercedes have received from other drivers since a seat became available in the team in 2025, following Lewis Hamilton’s decision to switch to Ferrari.
The F1 world was taken by surprise in early February when it was confirmed that Hamilton will join the Scuderia next season, ending his decade-long association with Mercedes. While Hamilton had previously signed a contract extension to keep him with the team until the end of 2025, the seven-time champion activated a release option that allowed him to make the move.
While several names have been speculated as possible candidates for Hamilton’s vacant role, Russell is not worried about who will ultimately join him in the team.
“It’s going to be an interesting few months to see what happens,” Russell said. “But for my part, I have been teammates with arguably the greatest driver of all time for the last two years, and I am not at all worried about who will line up next to me. I want to test myself against the best and I think that’s what I’ve had in the last two years.
“Whether it’s an experienced driver or a young driver. “I feel like I am personally in a great position to help drive the team forward and move into the next chapter.”
When asked what say he will have in the driver’s decision, Russell replied: “I think for any team it is important to have good harmony between the drivers, because that affects all the engineers and the whole team.” team, but ultimately the decision is Toto’s [Wolff] and the board.
“We’ve had a lot of conversations already and I’ve been with Toto a lot this winter, so seeing the drivers’ names pop up on the phone has been quite fun and even on my phone too, I’ve had a few phone calls and text messages.
“It has been quite interesting, but as a team, we are in a very good opportunity and position to face the next chapter. [after] “A lot of success with Lewis and Mercedes.”
Speculation over who could become Russell’s teammate at Mercedes has seen several names in the mix, from young, promising drivers to those who can bring more experience.
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Russell also recently made it clear that I have no problems with Max Verstappen joining the team. following rumors linking the Dutchman with a future move to the Silver Arrows.