Alonso hopes for combative Russell: "But Lewis is Lewis, so we'll see"

Fernando Alonso hopes that Lewis Hamilton will get a combative teammate in George Russell. He believes Valtteri Bottas has never been in a position to put pressure on Hamilton, and hopes that will be different in 2022.

In doing so, he is expressing what many Formula One fans want to see: that Hamilton no longer has an easy time at Mercedes and that he gets a teammate who forces him to be at his sharpest. "George might be able to put more pressure on Lewis. Valtteri hasn't been in a position to push in the last two years, and if George can do that the whole team will benefit," Alonso told Sky Sports.

Wolff set to take on Russell and Hamilton

He continued: "On the other hand, Lewis has shown many times that he can always perform, with or without pressure. George is fast, but Lewis is Lewis, so we'll see."

In any case, Toto Wolff will have to be attentive to ensure that tensions within his team do not start to rise too high. It is expected that Russell could start to challenge Hamilton and that he will not simply take on the role of second driver.