There are just two races to go in this epic Formula 1 world championship fight in 2021 at the time of writing. Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton are separated by just eight points, and it may well be too close to call as we enter the final two races of the year. Whilst 2021 still has a couple of acts to play out, there is already a lot of anticipation for the 2022 season. Not least because the new generation, F1 cars are set to debut, and hopefully provide better racing action.
There is more than that to look forward to though. Whilst next year's driver transfer market hasn’t been as wild as 2020 into 2021, there is still a lot of excitement. Alexander Albon returns to F1 as a Williams driver, for example, but the biggest news is that George Russell is off to Mercedes, replacing the Alfa Romeo bound Valtteri Bottas. Seeing Russell in a Mercedes up against Hamilton is something F1 fans are licking their lips over, and after his performances at Williams, it looks like Russell could give Hamilton a hard time.
Russell At Williams
It's important to look at just how good Russell has been at Williams to get a feel for how he might perform at Mercedes. Russell made his debut at the team in 2019 and has had as his teammates Robert Kubica and Nicolas Latifi. He out-qualified Kubica at every race in 2019, no mean feat despite Kubica’s time out of F1, and Latifi has only out-qualified Russell in the Monza sprint race and Friday qualifying the Brazilian sprint race in 2021. Russell out-qualified Latifi at every race they were teammates in 2020.
The only blip in 2020 was the Sakhir Grand Prix, where Russell was parachuted into the Mercedes to replace Hamilton who was missing that race due to Covid-19. Even then, Russell was second to Bottas’s pole, and outdrove and outraced him in the Grand Prix itself. Russell in 2021 has scored four times, including a podium in the rain afflicted Belgian Grand Prix. He has also scored points in Hungary, Italy, and Russia, and his front-row start in Belgium was one of the finest qualifying performances of the season. Clearly, Russell has the speed and now the experience to go up against Hamilton at Mercedes, having raced for Williams for three seasons now.
Adjusting To Life At Mercedes
Putting aside the fact the 2022 cars will be technically very different, Russell will have to adjust to a whole new operating regime at the Mercedes team. The systems and way the 2022 Mercedes will be run will be very different, and the team itself, a multiple title-winning team, will be running very differently from Mercedes too. But Russell’s race in the Sakhir Grand Prix for Mercedes means he already has an idea of how the team operates, and how the car is operated. Plus, being a Mercedes young driver, he knows how the team functions from various tests with the team, stretching back to 2017.
Adjusting to life at Mercedes then shouldn’t be an issue for Russell. His biggest challenge will thus be just acclimatizing as fast as he can and taking on the challenge of Hamilton. Bottas has done a respectable job against Hamilton, but he’s never been able to mount a consistent title challenge against the Briton. Only Nico Rosberg was able to take the fight to Hamilton, from 2014 to 2016. But Russell is a hungry, fast, and determined young driver who has plenty of years ahead of him. He is clearly the future of the team.
Taking On Hamilton
Whether Russell can or can’t take on Hamilton in his first year at the team is a question everyone wants to be answered. But he almost certainly has the speed to be able to do it, and at the very least should be able to put up a bit of a fight like Bottas has done so. Part of this also depends on whether Mercedes even allow Russell to take on Hamilton, or if he will initially play a supporting role in a title battle. It's too early to tell what will happen, but Russell might not be as willing to play such a role as Bottas has been.
What We Can Expect
This is a difficult one to predict. Russell has the speed, racecraft, and everything else needed to take on the might of Lewis Hamilton. But he is still only going to enter his fourth season of racing in F1. What counts for Russell though is how well he performed at Mercedes in Sakhir in 2020, and that he clearly knows he can mix it at the front of the grid. The fact he was signed to a long-term deal with the team also shows Mercedes believe he is very much the future when Hamilton eventually retires from F1. The 2022 season could provide plenty of fireworks for Mercedes.
Sources: Beyond The Flag, Williams, Eurosport, Formula 1, Planet F1