Russell to Mercedes? 'I don't know if it's the right choice...'

With the announcement of Valtteri Bottas leaving for the Alfa Romeo team it seems almost certain that we will see George Russell driving alongside Lewis Hamilton next year. The rumours have been going around for months and got stronger and stronger.

In the Formula 1 podcast of Dutch news site The Telegraaf Christijan Albers gives his opinion on the two Brits at Mercedes. "I don't know if it's the right choice to have two Englishmen next to each other in a Formula One team. Lewis doesn't want that either, but then Toto Wolff will change his mind anyway because of all the pressure from those English media."

Albers is not very positive about the English media. According to him, the media puts a lot of pressure on the Mercedes team to let Russell drive there. "Sorry to say it, but it's really that English media that really has so much power and is pushing so hard. That's unprecedented. You saw that at the time with Jenson Button driving for Williams and you have more cases like that. Fernando Alonso also noticed that the British press drove him and Hamilton apart. It is unbelievable. If the British have something in their heads it has to happen."

Mercedes functions well as it is now

Albers continues, "Look already how that went those last few races, how those English media keep pushing that. You see it on Sky, they keep pushing that Russell has to get in that seat and that he deserves it. I think now you have a team that works. I like that Russell is getting a chance, let's not forget that."

But according to him, Russell's arrival will be negative for Hamilton. "But in terms of Lewis Hamilton, in terms of being relaxed, you notice that with Max as well, if there is someone driving next to Max who is good but not too good, then a driver like that comes out much more and then he is much more relaxed. Then he knows even if he has a bad lap, he still has an easy time. That just gives that little extra, where those extra tenths come from in qualifying."

Albers is surprised about Bottas' arrival at Alfa Romeo. Whether Nyck de Vries will also drive there next year? "That all depends on Toto Wolff, he has so many cards in his hand. He is of course the engine supplier to many teams."