F1 News: George Russell Reveals High Demand For Lewis Hamilton Seat - "Had Phone Calls And Messages"
Mercedes driver George Russell revealed that it has been "quite funny" to witness drivers calling Mercedes to fill in Lewis Hamilton's seat in 2025 after his shock announcement to join Ferrari for the next season. The British driver also revealed being approached by other drivers through calls and text messages.
Key Takeaways:
- George Russell finds it amusing to witness drivers vying for Lewis Hamilton's seat at Mercedes for the 2025 season, with numerous calls and messages being exchanged among them.
- Mercedes, led by Toto Wolff, is taking its time to find a replacement for Hamilton, with Russell declared the lead driver for the upcoming seasons.
- Russell expresses confidence in Mercedes' decision-making process for choosing his future teammate, emphasizing his focus on performance and readiness to work with whoever joins the team amidst speculation linking various drivers to the vacancy.
As a result of Hamilton's shock decision, Russell was declared the lead driver for the upcoming season and beyond. But, with an entire season barring two races still left to go, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff revealed that the team was in no rush to find a replacement for the seven-time-world champion.
When the 26-year-old driver was asked if he had a say in the team's decision-making process to choose the right driver alongside him, he told Formula1.com:
“I think for any team it's important to have good harmony between the drivers, because that trickles down to all of the engineers, and the whole team, but ultimately the decision's with Toto [Wolff] and the board.
“We've already had a lot of conversations and I've been with Toto a lot this winter, so seeing the drivers' names pop up on the telephone has been quite funny and and even on my phone as well, I've had a few phone calls and and text messages.
“So it's been quite interesting, but as a team, we're in a really good opportunity and position to go into this next chapter, [after] so much success with Lewis and Mercedes.”
Russell also added that he wasn't concerned about his future teammate as his sole focus remains to perform and lead the team next season. He added:
“It's gonna be an interesting few months to see what happens.
“But from my side, I've been team mates with arguably the greatest driver of all time for the past two years, and I've got no concerns at all who lines up alongside me. I want to be tested against the very best and I feel that's what I've had the last two years.
“Whether it’s an experienced driver or a young driver. I feel that personally, I'm in a great position to help push the team forward and go into this next chapter.”
Since Hamilton's Ferrari announcement last month, several drivers have been linked to a future Mercedes move, such as Fernando Alonso, Carlos Sainz, Alex Albon, and even Red Bull driver Max Verstappen!
Regardless of the speculation, Mercedes maintains an upper hand, given the impending expiration of 13 driver contracts by year-end, along with the ample time Brackley outfit has to make a wise decision.