Russell got push to Mercedes: "Otherwise he wouldn't have been happy"
F1 News
- GPblog.com
Next year George Russell will make the long awaited switch to the Mercedes AMG F1 team. His current team, Williams, will therefore be short of a strong driver in 2022. They hope to fill that gap with Alexander Albon. The team saw the departure of Russell coming from miles away.
Williams not disillusioned
The young Mercedes protégé can finally try out for the big team in 2022. For years the Brit drove a slower car at the back of the field, but still managed to impress. In 2021 Russell's performance was already sublime with multiple Q3 appearances, several points finishes and a podium.
Williams team boss Jost Capito tells Motorsport-total.com what it was like on the other side of the garage surrounding Russell's departure: "Of course we knew we could lose him to Mercedes because his contract was going to expire. He did a great job for Mercedes last year, so it was clear they would want him."
Capito helped crown Lewis Hamilton
Russell was seen as Lewis Hamilton's successor within the Mercedes ranks for quite some time. Capito, therefore, did not stand in the Briton's way and gave him a push in the right direction.
"I am very much in favour of assisting drivers in their careers, even if it is not in the team's interest. If George would have seen that he could drive at Mercedes but was still at Williams then he would not have been happy and would not have performed as well."