09/09/2021
NEWS STORY
George Russell claims that Mercedes has promised him total parity with new teammate, seven-time world champion, Lewis Hamilton.
While the German team seemingly dithered over whether to maintain the status quo or opt for new blood, many suspected that the stumbling block in terms of signing Russell would be the threat he might pose to Hamilton.
Indeed, it was widely speculated that this was the reason the world champion had made no secret of his desire to retain Valtteri Bottas.
An impressive one-off outing for the German team in last year's Sakhir Grand Prix, while deputising for Hamilton, made the situation increasingly difficult, with some opining that the world champion's early return after testing positive for COVID was the result of Russell's form over the weekend.
However, his form in a title-winning Mercedes was in many ways nothing compared to his results in the back of the grid Williams, and this, coupled with Bottas' irregular form meant the German team had to bring Russell in or face losing him.
While Bottas is widely seen as Hamilton's 'wingman', Russell insists that central to agreeing the Mercedes deal was the condition that he be given parity with the world champion and allowed to fight for wins.
"That was made very clear to me," Russell told reporters at Monza today. "I think Mercedes are always respectful in that regard, to give both drivers the best opportunity.
"Naturally I believe in myself, and I have high aspirations," he continued. "But equally I know just how tough it is going to be. Lewis is a seven-time world champion for a reason, and I think I'm in probably one of the most fortunate positions on the grid to be able to go out there and learn from him.
"For myself, I see this partnership with Mercedes as a long-term thing, and I guess I need to use next year as a real opportunity to learn, and take it race by race, and just see how I get on. But I've got no initial thoughts really."
Though some say that the threat posed by the 'young pretender' to Hamilton could cause friction within the team, Russell insists that this will not be the case.
"I think Mercedes have had clear experience of a poor dynamic within the team," he said, an obvious reference to Nico Rosberg, "and they've made it absolutely clear that they don't want a repeat.
"On a personal level as well, I don't want that either," he added. "I think it's so important as teammates to work together, to push the team.
"Next year it's a new car and new regulations. There's no guarantees who is going to have the fastest car, so I guess it's our job as drivers to push that forward.
"I'd say as well, Lewis and I are at very different stages of our career, which I think also helps, and I have a huge amount of respect for him, I think being so much younger and looking up to him as a young karting driver changes that dynamic a lot too. I don't see there being any issues at all."