Russell at the opportunity of a lifetime, with Mercedes

Eight years after, as a bold teenager, he wrote to Toto Wolff offering his talent, George Russell has the opportunity to show the top boss of the Mercedes Formula One team what he can really do on a track.

Russell will be at the wheel of a Mercedes next Sunday, when the season starts in Bahrain. It was already noticed there when he drove brilliantly by replacing Lewis Hamilton at the end of 2020.

Now they are teammates because Russell took the place vacated by Valtteri Bottas in Mercedes and will have the opportunity to learn from a multiple champion.

“It's a huge motivation for me to try to live up to Lewis,” said 24-year-old Russell.

Bottas never won a world title and rarely rushed Hamilton. Russell could do better, but everything will depend on the circumstances.

While Mercedes says its drivers can compete against each other, it is predictable that Russell will be asked to help Hamilton regain the title that Max Verstappen narrowly snatched from him on the last lap of 2021.

“Lewis is a fighter and his big concern is to offer his best version when he hits the track in Bahrain,” Russell said. “He knows what is required.”

As much as he was left wanting to win his eighth title and break the tie with Michael Schumacher as the most frequently crowned F1 champions, Russell says he always admired Hamilton's dedication.

“I've always been surprised that someone as talented and successful as Lewis continues to try to improve,” he said. “I think we can work very well together for the benefit of the team.”

It is hoped that the bad relationship he had with Nico Rosberg in 2015 and 2016, the last year that someone snatched the title from Lewis until last year, will not be repeated.

Hamilton and Russell could have more work than imagined in light of what has been seen so far in the preseason rehearsals, in which the Red Bull and Ferrari did better the Mercedes.

Mercedes won the last eight constructors' championships in a row and don't panic.

But there is concern.

“We seem to be one step behind our rivals,” Russell said.

Russell has already raced in F1 with Williams, but Mercedes is another world.

“They are above all the details, even the smallest,” he said. “It's impressive, from the simplest things to the most technical.”

Russell joined the Mercedes junior program in 2017, then signed with Williams, who uses Mercedes engines, in 2019.

He had outstanding performances with a much slower car, especially at last year's Belgian Grand Prix, when he finished second after spectacular driving in the rain.

Russell's talent is well known. When Hamilton was ruled out for the Sakhir Grand Prix in late 2020, after contracting the coronavirus, it was Wolff who contacted Russell this time.

“I got a call from Toto at two in the morning,” Russell said. “I was in the bathroom. It was quite a funny thing.”

Russell then surprised with his handling. He looked much better than the more experienced Bottas, achieved the fastest lap and could have won had it not been for bad team decisions.

The exhibition was particularly notable because he had never raced in Hamilton's car and he has bigger feet. He had to wear a shoe that was a smaller size, which tightened him very tightly.

In the 2019 and 2020 seasons, Russell outperformed his teammates in each qualifying session.

However, this is hardly repeated with Hamilton, who has 103 pole positions, more than any other driver in history.