Russell dismisses Hamilton 'weight' suggestion

Additional reporting by Ewan Gale

George Russell has insisted there is no added pressure in fighting Lewis Hamilton in equal machinery at Mercedes.

The Briton joined seven-time champion Hamilton at Mercedes after spending three years learning in F1 at the back of the grid with Williams.

The past campaign was a season to remember for Russell, who strung together consecutive top-five finishes before the British Grand Prix despite the porpoising and bouncing issues that plagued the W13.

Russell then went on to clinch the Silver Arrows' only pole position in Hungary and win in Brazil, both of which were his first in F1.

The 24-year-old eventually finished fourth in the drivers' standings, ahead of Ferrari's Carlos Sainz and team-mate Hamilton, who was 35 points adrift.

Asked if he had felt a weight of pressure in being directly squared up against Hamilton, speaking in an end-of-season interview, Russell told GPFans: “No, I don't feel a weight, to be honest.

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“When you grow up, you have pressures throughout your whole career.

"When I was in go-karting, Formula 4, Formula 3, Formula 2, at Williams, the pressure was to perform in Formula 1 to ultimately try and get to Mercedes.

“Ultimately, the pressure is still there. It's no more, no less, because every year is the most important year of your life.

"So, I'm definitely enjoying this opportunity and excited to see what the future holds.”