Mercedes gives a “clear signal” Russell will join Lewis Hamilton next year – Schumacher | F1 | Sports

Ralf Schumacher believes Mercedes has given a clear indication of who will partner with Lewis Hamilton next season, as George Russell joined the team on test drives in Hungary.

Russell stayed with the team after the Hungarian Grand Prix as part of extensive Pirelli tire tests for the big changes in 2022 and gained valuable sitting time with the current world champions.

It’s an important test for Formula 1 teams, with big changes next season as the regulations are revised for 2022.

One big change will be the 18-inch tires, which are far larger than the current spec, one of several big changes for the next season.

The current young Mercedes driver completed almost two race distances on the Hungaroring, which has increased speculation that the Briton could replace the current Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas next year.

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“For me this is a clear indication.”

Bottas and Russell are both free agents at the end of the season, with Wolff admitting it’s a head-to-head battle between the two for the seat.

However, Schumacher believes that Wolff will not let Bottas down until 2022.

“Toto will try to move him to another location,” added Schumacher.

“First I see Alfa Romeo and Williams. But of course there is also a connection to Aston Martin. “