Coulthard believes "Russell has the talent to match Hamilton's speed"

With a possible move from Russell to Mercedes still up in the air, former racing driver David Coulthard speculates how this transfer could turn the balance of power within Mercedes upside down. The Scot sees Russell as a similar figure to Max Verstappen, someone for whom racing is the ultimate priority.

Coulthard first of all stresses the passion with which Russell competes on the track. "We saw George’s hunger and racing spirit when he came together with Valtteri in Imola. What we saw was his passion behind the wheel and that’s the sort of passion he’s going to need to beat Lewis", Coulthard said in a conversation with Mirror.

The former driver continued: "He’s not going to beat Lewis with pure speed, Lewis is one of if not the fastest drivers of the last decade, George I believe has the talent to match that speed."

"He’s going to beat him with that passion, that hunger, that ‘you might be Lewis Hamilton but when we go on track, I don’t care who you are’ Which is exactly what Max Verstappen delivers when he’s in the race car", Coulthard concluded.