George Russell rules out Mercedes switch confirming "I will be a Williams driver in 2021"

Mercedes

Russell rules out Mercedes switch confirming "I will be a Williams driver in 2021"

Russell had suggested his performance in Sakhir could make Mercedes think about its driver lineup for 2021

Ewan Gale

Thursday 10 December 2020 16:00

George Russell has insisted he will be a Williams driver next season and retracted his comment that he had given Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff "a headache" after his debut with the team.

Russell impressed on his Mercedes debut last weekend and may be required to stand-in for Lewis Hamilton again this weekend as the world champion races to recover from Covid-19 in time to contest the season finale.

After his performance in Bahrain, Russell said: "From Toto's perspective, hopefully, I have given him a headache, not just for 2022, maybe sooner."

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However, after reflection, the Briton has reversed on his statement but threw his support behind his Mercedes management.

"That was just a throwaway remark in the heat of the moment," he explained.

"Obviously, emotions were high and what have you, but ultimately, I have a contract and will be a Williams driver for 2021."

"My management is Mercedes. I signed a deal with Mercedes back in 2016 and they are my managers. They invested in me, they put their faith in me and that means a huge amount. I am committed to Mercedes. I am happy and confident with my position under their guidance."

One of the biggest challenges faced by Russell last weekend was fitting his taller frame and larger feet into the W11, a car that has been built to perfectly house Hamilton.

However, with an extra week of preparation, he confirmed the team has been able to make some adjustments.

"We have made some minor modifications," he added. "There is only a limited amount of things you can do in that short period of time you have had.

"Ultimately, a lot more work needs to be done to get me completely comfortable in the car. We have got some slightly different things on the steering wheel which makes things easier for me.

"That is positive but having had a weekend in the car, everything should feel more natural."