Ecclestone not convinced by Russell: ‘Let's not forget Verstappen’
F1 News
- GPblog.com
Former Formula 1 chief Bernie Ecclestone regularly said during the 2021 season that he would like to see Max Verstappen become world champion, while the 91-year-old Briton criticised Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton. It is not yet clear what the new cars will look like in 2022, but as far as Ecclestone is concerned Verstappen is now the benchmark.
Apart from Verstappen, many eyes are also on George Russell. The 23-year-old Briton will make the switch from Williams to Mercedes in 2022, where he has already shown he can be competitive in 2020 while filling in for Hamilton. However, Ecclestone is still far from convinced of the talent of Mercedes' new addition.
Ecclestone not convinced of Russell's talent
"With Russell, Hamilton would get an ambitious teammate, of whom, by the way, I am not as convinced as many experts," Ecclestone said in conversation with Blick. "And let's not forget Verstappen. With him, Hamilton has finally found an equal opponent after all these years."
With Hamilton's continued silence on social media, there are strong rumours that the seven-time world champion is planning to hang up his helmet. Verstappen still sees his rival coming back, but Ecclestone is less convinced. "In Hamilton, Max had a rival that everyone held in high esteem, so his success counts double," the Brit argues.