Hamilton and Russell will 'absolutely kick off' at Mercedes - Coulthard

Former F1 driver David Coulthard "absolutely" expects things to "kick-off" between Lewis Hamilton and George Russell at Mercedes in 2022.

Since partnering Hamilton with Valtteri Bottas in 2017, Mercedes has enjoyed a harmonious relationship between its two drivers in stark contrast to the three previous years with Hamilton and Rosberg vying for world championship success.

Russell's standout performances during his three seasons with Williams have earned him the much-coveted Mercedes drive.

But when Coulthard was asked on Channel 4 if it would "kick-off" between the 2022 Mercedes team-mates, the 13-time race winner said: “It will, absolutely.

“It will be the making of George up against the driver of a couple of generations."

In his first three years racing in F1, Russell has been partnered by Robert Kubica and Nicholas Latifi, but in going up against Hamilton he now faces a far sterner test of his abilities.

“This is where George Russell becomes the making of a future world champion," continued Coulthard.

"He hasn’t been pushed by any of his team-mates. It will be very different with Lewis.

“In the beginning, he will just be young and full of energy, he will be fresh and then he will get worn down by the relentlessness of Lewis, and that’s the point at which he will grow as a man.”