George Russell will drive for Mercedes in the upcoming 2022 Formula 1 season after spending three years at one of the rear-of-the-grid teams, Williams. It seemed that the Briton was counting down the days until Toto Wolff requested his services to take a seat on the Silver Arrows.
However, in a Motor Sport Magazine podcast, the 23-year-old said he was surprised by the team’s treatment of its drivers, as the Briton indirectly confirmed that he was willing to wait for Valtteri Bottas’ departure, which it was produced at the end of the 2021 season.
“Valtteri was a very important driver for the team. He helped win those titles for the whole time he was at Mercedes,” said Russell, who defended the Scandinavian, although he was criticized for not being on the same level as Lewis Hamilton.
Bottas had been with the German team since the 2017 season, when he replaced Nico Rosberg, who surprisingly left the team after winning the top-flight championship in 2016. The Finn managed to be runner-up in two campaigns, and was third in others. two more times.
“There are a lot of people willing to say all sorts of negative things about him, but Valtteri has played a huge part in the success of the team, and Mercedes have wanted to reward him for that loyalty. If he has had a couple of bad races, the management will not be has rushed to fire him, saying something along the lines of ‘Thank you, see you next time.’ They give people all the opportunities and chances, that’s how it is at Mercedes.”
“If I work hard and perform well, the team will see it, for sure, and there will be no speculation about my performance or my future. After something like that you start giving even more than you gave before,” he concluded.
