George Russell to Mercedes? Not yet, but he will do tyre testing for team

George Russell is one of the driver’s whose future moves are being closely watched by the world of Formula 1. The Williams driver, who is also part of the Mercedes driver programme, is seen by many as a driver with championship-winning potential. And he is being strongly linked to the Mercedes seat for 2022. However, nothing has quite been confirmed yet in that regard. Mercedes boss Toto Wolff made it clear any decision over the second Mercedes seat would be taken over the summer break. But F1’s summer break is underway, so a decision on the same can be expected soon.

And while Russell isn’t yet confirmed for the team, he will be staying back at Hungary with the team. The reason? To be part of tyre testing.

Yes, the British driver will be at the wheel in the car on Tuesday (August 3) to test the new 18-inch tyres. These tyres will be used for the upcoming season under the new regulations.

@MercedesAMGF1 is testing the #Fit4F1 18-inch 2022 tyres this week. At the wheel is @GeorgeRussell63, for one day only on Tuesday at the @HungaroringF1. @F1 @fia pic.twitter.com/qk2s6LSFpb

— Pirelli Motorsport (@pirellisport) August 2, 2021

It’s not the first time that Russell has tested for Mercedes during his active F1 career. He completed tests in Bahrain and Abu Dhabi for the Silver Arrows back in 2019.

What’s more, his first ever F1 test was in a Mercedes W08 at the same Hungaroring track in 2017.

How has George Russell fared this season?

Yet none of those tests carried the same weight as this one do.

Not only does it pertain to new regulations, it also might give an indication of Russell’s status in the team. It is well known that Mercedes rate him highly.

As such, this can be a case of the team giving him a run-out before confirming him for next season.

Rusell has done as well as can be expected from him given the car he’s in. The Williams is one of the three slowest cars on the grid. Yet, Russell is known for getting good qualifying times out of the car.

He also scored his first points with the team with a ninth-place finish at Hungary. It is now an eighth-place finish after Sebastian Vettel, who finished second, was disqualified due to fuel irregularities.

Whatever the result of Mercedes’ team building for next season, Russell will be keen to improve. He is out of contract at Williams and, should Mercedes not offer him a seat, would like to stay at the British team.