Difficult situation for Russell and Mercedes: "There is no brilliant solution"
F1 News
- GPblog.com
George Russell has been with Williams for a number of years now and he has shown he can be very fast with the resources at his disposal. When he stepped into Hamilton's Mercedes in 2020 he was on course to win the Grand Prix, but all sorts of circumstances prevented him from doing so. Still, the Brit will want to make a good move up front sooner or later, but there doesn't seem to be much room for it for now.
Difficult position
Mercedes has Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton on their payroll for this year and although it is uncertain what 2022 will look like in terms of line-up, there is a chance that the current two drivers will stay. This would then mean another year at Williams for Russell, who is a Mercedes protégé, who has been waiting for his chance at Mercedes for a number of years.
Sooner or later Russell will get tired of waiting, but should he give up his chance at Mercedes or stay patient? A difficult dilemma for George Russell and to some extent also for Mercedes, says Marc Priestley in his new video. He sets off with: "What can George Russell do? The answer is, there is no brilliant solution."
"If he stays at Williams, he'll still be at the back. Yes, he'll stay on the grid, but at the back. That has limited appeal. Not only in terms of results, but also in the options to show what he can do. Also, there are few opportunities for him to really grow as an F1 driver."
Russell chooses his own path?
For Russell, it's annoying that he has potential prospects for a top seat, but it's just not happening. However, with the introduction of the new regulations in 2022 a lot will change and once again that makes it very tricky. Should he stay with Williams, which may be a lot further down the grid - if he doesn't switch to Mercedes - or should he look elsewhere?
"If Mercedes decides they want to stick with Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton for another year, another two years or whatever it might be, where do they put George Russell? Or does George Russell say thank you, but I’m gonna break away from Mercedes and try to go alone? At which point Renault probably becomes an option for him. It’s a good option and it moves him slightly further up the grid. But from next year onwards there is no guarantee the grid order will be the same. "
And so that leaves Russell in a quandary. Should he wait for Mercedes or is it time for him to choose his own path? After so many years at Williams without really special results thanks to the team's backlog, it's easy to imagine him pursuing his ambition elsewhere. At the same time, Mercedes could potentially lose a promising driver if they don't give Russell what he wants, so that also leaves Mercedes with some dilemma.