Former Formula 1 mechanic Marc Priestley believes George Russell will have to make a tough decision to achieve the success he craves in the next phase of his racing career. The 23-year-old has been part of the Williams Racing Team since 2019 and is currently 17th in the championship.
Williams is part of the Mercedes Petronas family, a fact that led Russell to replace Lewis Hamilton when he contracted COVID-19 ahead of the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix.
Since then, it has been under discussion whether he will appear for the team permanently and replace Valtteri Bottas for the 2022 season, as the Finn’s contract expires this year.
Although Russell is led by Toto Wolff, the Mercedes boss has not confirmed whether this will be the case.
Priestley, who was part of the McLaren team for a decade, explained the struggle the racer faces if he is to be successful in the sport and suggested a possible alternative from Mercedes.
He said: “If he stays with Williams he will still be behind. Yes, he will stay on the grid, but behind. That has limited appeal.
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“But from next year there is no longer any guarantee that the network sequence will remain the same. “
The Brit took his chance in Azerbaijan to impress his bosses and set the fastest lap on the race weekend.
He ended up finishing ninth, despite being on course for victory before suffering a puncture and pitting with Sergio Perez, eventual winner, ahead of Esteban Ocon and Lance Stroll.
Russell will be back in action this weekend when he returns to Azerbaijan for the sixth race of the season.
The driver will try to get his first points of the season and those of the team.
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