[ad_1]
Mercedes agreed with Williams and made the best decision, in the opinion of many: This week, a member of the youth program, George Russell, will replace Lewis Hamilton, who is sick with Covid-19.
George will be the fifth Mercedes-AMG team driver since 2010 and the third Briton to represent Mercedes-Benz in Formula 1 after Sir Stirling Moss and Lewis Hamilton.
Toto wolffFirst of all, I want to thank our partners at Williams for the cooperation and assistance that will allow George Russell to spend this weekend with us. Negotiations with Williams were positive and pragmatic, which quickly led to an agreement.
Driving a W11 after a Williams race will be difficult for George, but he is race ready and familiar with how 2020 tires work on modern cars. This year he showed excellent form behind the wheel of Williams, playing an important role in the team’s progress. I am optimistic that together with Valtteri, who will become their benchmark, they will achieve impressive results.
This race will be the next step in Russell’s training. For the first time, we will see a participant in our youth program perform as part of the Mercedes factory team. We will do everything we can to help Valtteri and George earn maximum points this weekend. And of course we all support Lewis now, and we hope he makes a quick recovery. “
The lineup for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix will be announced later …
