F1 legend Mario Andretti revealed that he was excited to see George Russell at Mercedes, saying that the pressure on him would be immense.
Russell joined Mercedes after three years at Williams. He will partner with seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, making the biggest of jumps anyone could possibly make in F1.
With GP3 and F2 championships under his belt, he is the most youngster on the grid today. However, now is the time for him to step up, and everyone is very excited to see young George did.
Andretti revealed that he was excited to see Russell at Mercedes, saying that he will have the world watching him.
“He has some huge shoes to fill!” he said, as quoted by Racingnews365.com.
“Not only vis-a-vis Lewis, but also vis-a-vis Valtteri (Bottas), who was a strong, valuable teammate.”
Skills to show
“We have seen what George did in Bahrain, on a one-off situation, so you would expect that he will show really strong (performance),” the former world champion continued.
“But we always wait to see. You can draw a lot of conclusions, but until it’s proven….sometimes it’s a one-off that really works out and then when you’re really in there it becomes a little more difficult.
“It’s just another thing, another area to look forward to and to see how it plays out. I think it’s the biggest opportunity of his life, to really shine in the sport, with the top team at the moment, so we all wish him well, for sure.”
Russell arrives at Mercedes to replace Valtteri Bottas. He is only the third permanent driver swap the team have made this decade after Hamilton and Bottas. He will look to live up to the legacies of those drivers, and will begin in earnest in 2022.
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