Russell grateful: 'He's the one who has the last word'

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13:55, 15 Jan 2022

George Russell will get a chance at Mercedes next season. The Brit experienced an excellent year at Williams in 2021, and it has earnt him a move to 2021's top constructor, and he's particuarly grateful for the faith Toto Wolff has shown him.

Mercedes have been the dominant force in Formula 1 over recent years and it took a brilliant season from Max Verstappen and a portion of bad luck to deny them the Drivers' Championship in 2021.

Mercedes have decided to freshen things up in 2022 with Russell replacing Valtteri Bottas, partnering Lewis Hamilton despite his place on the grid not being assured. Russell's rock solid year convinced Mercedes that he was the right man for the team.

Russell is grateful to Wolff for his opportunity

According to Russell, he is especially grateful to Mercedes' team boss, Toto Wolff for the decision. "He is the one who has the last word," he revealed in conversation with Nextgen-Auto.com. "He believed in me and he had faith in me even when I finished last every weekend."

Pos.	Driver	Team	Points
1	Kimi Antonelli Kimi Antonelli	MercedesMER	292
2	George Russell George Russell	MercedesMER	211
3	Lewis Hamilton Lewis Hamilton	FerrariFER	191
4	Lando Norris Lando Norris	McLarenMCL	186
5	Charles Leclerc Charles Leclerc	FerrariFER	167
6	Max Verstappen Max Verstappen	Red Bull RacingRBR	145
7	Oscar Piastri Oscar Piastri	McLarenMCL	120
8	Isack Hadjar Isack Hadjar	Red Bull RacingRBR	71
9	Liam Lawson Liam Lawson	Racing BullsRCB	59
10	Pierre Gasly Pierre Gasly	AlpineALP	41
11	Arvid Lindblad Arvid Lindblad	Racing BullsRCB	31
12	Franco Colapinto Franco Colapinto	AlpineALP	27
13	Oliver Bearman Oliver Bearman	HaasHAA	18
14	Gabriel Bortoleto Gabriel Bortoleto	AudiAUD	10
15	Nico Hulkenberg Nico Hulkenberg	AudiAUD	7
16	Carlos Sainz Carlos Sainz	WilliamsWIL	6
17	Alexander Albon Alexander Albon	WilliamsWIL	5
18	Esteban Ocon Esteban Ocon	HaasHAA	3
19	Fernando Alonso Fernando Alonso	Aston MartinAST	3
20	Yuki Tsunoda Yuki Tsunoda	Racing BullsRCB	1
21	Lance Stroll Lance Stroll	Aston MartinAST	0
22	Valtteri Bottas Valtteri Bottas	CadillacCAD	0
23	Sergio Perez Sergio Perez	CadillacCAD	0

Russell grateful: 'He's the one who has the last word'

Russell is grateful to Wolff for his opportunity

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