George Russell on his way to Mercedes for 2022 F1 season, says Ralf Schumacher

Former Formula 1 (F1) driver Ralf Schumacher is of the belief that Williams’ driver George Russell will be on his way to Mercedes for the 2022 season. Russell is a product of Mercedes’ youth system and Toto Wolff has been full of praise for the youngster for a few years now. The move will see Valterri Bottas losing his seat at the silver arrows. There have been rumours, however, that Aston Martin driver Lance Stroll could be the one to move to Mercedes that will see Bottas moving to Aston Martin. A situation like this would leave Russell stranded at Williams. Schumacher, however, does not believe that.

“It’s true that Stroll and Wolff are close friends,” Schumacher said to Auto Bild.

“But how far would they go? I don’t think Stroll has influence at Mercedes. I think that’s where Russell will be,” he added. Of course, any switch would mean Bottas losing his spot at Mercedes. When asked about his future, Schumacher said that he is most likely to go to Aston Martin. Alfa Romeo and Williams were also options as per the former racer.

“Toto will try to move him to another place. I see Alfa Romeo and Williams first of all, but of course there is also the connection to Aston Martin,” he said.

The reason why Schumacher believes so is that it was Russell who drove Bottas’ 2021 car in Hungary last week for the 18-inch Pirelli tyre test. “That’s no coincidence,” Schumacher said. “For me, that was a clear sign.”

LATIFI WIEGHS IN

Russell’s driving partner at Williams, Nicholas Latifi, has also weighed in over rumours of his teammate going to the championship-winning constructor.

“Obviously, the speed and being quick is one of the main things, but I think you have to have someone who knows it is still a rebuilding phase,” the Canadian driver said.

“Williams is definitely on the correct path to being more competitive and being more in the fight. I think as much as everyone will hope and be optimistic that it will be a big  jump next year, it might not be as big a jump as we want.”

“I’m obviously hoping that it will be a massive jump next year, it might not be. If you have a driver who expects to win the championship or win races next year, maybe that’s not the right thing,” Latifi added.

He also noted that the change in the car engineers will require a certain type of personality on Russell’s part.

“You need someone who can be patient to work with the engineers on the track and the engineers back at the factory in the right way to guide them, as obviously it’s a new generation of car,” he said.

“That will be completely different to what we are all used to these past years. So having a fresh mind, an open approach and a willingness to push the team forward is important,” the Canadian added.