Russell ready for world title fight: 'Accomplished alongside Hamilton'

George Russell will start his first season with Mercedes on March 20. The Brit is the replacement for Valtteri Bottas who will drive for Alfa Romeo next racing year. During the test days in Barcelona, Russell had the opportunity to get used to his new car, leaving a good impression on Jolyon Palmer.

Although the driver left an excellent impression with Williams last year, it was questionable whether Russell could reach the same level in his Mercedes. Russell is expected to face a high level of expectation, which means he will have to be sharp every race to bring in the points.

Russell makes good first impression

In Spain, however, the British driver left a rock-solid impression. Not only did he manage to put a lot of laps on the board and thus provide his team with a lot of data, it also looked good. Palmer therefore expects Russell to do well for Mercedes in 2022.

"Russell looks immediately settled and accomplished alongside Lewis Hamilton," the racing driver wrote for the official website of Formula 1.

"This was a decent start for the reigning constructors’ champions and of all the teams, the feeling is that Mercedes could introduce the most upgrades next time out in Bahrain, and showcase their true pace a little more."