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Russell will replace Hamilton following the seven-time world champion’s positive test for COVID-19, and Mercedes and Williams reached an agreement overnight.
Russell has been a part of Mercedes’ junior program since late 2016, but required an assignment from Williams to move to his main team and replace Hamilton.
The deal is in effect for this weekend’s race at the Bahrain International Circuit, but could end up being extended to cover the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix as well in the event that Hamilton is unable to return.
It will give Russell, who won the Autosport BRDC award in 2014, a chance to break his F1 points duck dating back to his debut with Williams at the start of the 2019 season, testing the fastest car in 70-year history. of the series. .
“First of all, I want to thank our loyal Williams partners for their collaboration and open-mindedness in making it possible for George to race Mercedes this weekend,” said Mercedes F1 team principal Toto Wolff.
“The conversations with the Williams team were positive and pragmatic, and those were the key factors in reaching an agreement.
“It will not be an easy task for George to transition from Williams to W11, but he is race ready and has a detailed understanding of 2020 tires and how they work on this generation of cars.
“We have a job to do this weekend, and the full focus of our sporting endeavors will be behind Valtteri and George to maximize our score as a team.”
Russell has impressed throughout his F1 career to date despite the limitations of Williams’ car, and Hamilton recently praised his displays and called him a potential future world champion.
Russell has long been linked to a possible move to Mercedes, but is hired at Williams until the end of the 2021 season.
This weekend’s race will give Mercedes a chance to see how Russell fares against full-time driver Valtteri Bottas, although his first race in the 2020-spec W11 car will only come on Friday in practice.
“First of all, I want to thank everyone at Williams for giving me this opportunity,” Russell said. “I may be wearing a different outfit this weekend, but I’m a Williams driver and will cheer on my team every step of the way.
“I see this as a great opportunity to learn from the best team on the grid right now and to come back as an improved driver, with even more energy and experience to help propel Williams further up the grid. Thank you very much also to Mercedes for placing her faith in me ”.
Russell’s seat at Williams has been filled by the team’s reserve driver, Jack Aitken, who was due to compete in Formula 2 this weekend with Campos.
Aitken has previously tested F1 machinery for both Renault and Williams, and appeared in practice for the Styrian Grand Prix earlier this year.
Aitken holds a full F1 super license thanks to his youth record, and he will become the first driver of Korean heritage to start a grand prix.
Aitken finished fifth in last year’s F2 championship, scoring three wins, and is currently 14th in the standings with one round remaining this season.
“I am absolutely over the moon to have the opportunity to debut with Williams next weekend and I am very happy that George has his opportunity as well,” Aitken said.
“I really mean it when I say that I have felt at home here since joining Williams earlier this year, so having the opportunity to help the team try to achieve that elusive points finish is an extremely satisfying occasion. , to say the least. .
“I’ll do my best to prepare in the next few days, but honestly I feel like I’ve been ready since Melbourne.”
It will be the first time since the 2001 Italian Grand Prix that two drivers made their mid-season debuts in the same race.
Pietro Fittipaldi will also make his first F1 outing this weekend, replacing the injured Romain Grosjean at Haas.
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