As expected, George Russell should start with record world champion Lewis Hamilton as a future duo of two generations for Mercedes.
The German factory racing team announced the most important personnel for the coming season on Tuesday.
"He has won every racing series he has competed in so far, and the past three seasons at Williams have given us a foretaste of what the future could hold for him in Formula 1," said Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff in one Message via Russell.
The 23-year-old had only missed his first Grand Prix victory on his debut in the Mercedes as a replacement for the then corona-sick Hamilton in December of last year due to an unbelievable amount of bad luck in Bahrain and more than hinted at his qualities. At the latest after the announcement of Valtteri Bottas' change from Mercedes to Alfa Romeo on Monday, the long suspected rise of Mercedes pupil Russell was only a matter of form.
"This is a huge step in my career," emphasized Russell, who also enjoys a very good reputation in the paddock as a polite person. He will be Hamilton's third team-mate since the now 36-year-old Brit moved from McLaren to Mercedes in the 2013 season. Nico Rosberg ended his career immediately after winning the World Cup in 2016, Bottas has been driving since 2017. In the fight against Hamilton, the 32-year-old Finn was left behind.
His goal must be to reward the trust that Wolff, the team and the board would put in him, said Russell, who secured the title in British Formula 4 as a newcomer in 2014, won the then GP3 in 2017 and a year later in Formula 2 had won. Russell has been racing in Formula 1 since 2019, and has often shown his skills in 51 races in the mostly inferior Williams.
He is confident that Russell and the seven-time world champion Hamilton will grow together and form a strong team to deliver performance for Mercedes on and off the track in the coming years, said team boss Wolff. But the Austrian also keeps an eye on the present. "With the announcement of our plans for the 2022 season, one of the burdens is lifted from us, from now on our focus is again fully on the remaining nine races of the season, in which we will throw everything into the balance in the fight for the two world championships," said Wolff.
Because the next round in the hard-fought World Championship race between Hamilton and Red Bull star Max Verstappen as well as the current industry leader team and the former series world championship racing team is due next Sunday in the Tempo Temple in Monza. Hamilton, who is still waiting for his 100th Grand Prix victory, is three points behind the Dutchman after the Verstappen triumph at Zandvoort.