When it comes to composing its driver line-up in 2022, Mercedes will choose between “stability” and “talent” when the dominance of the team in Formula 1 comes to a crossroads, says team boss Toto Wolff.
The Silver Arrows have ruled the sport practically since Lewis Hamilton’s arrival eight years ago – and with the certainty that their seven-time world champion will remain until 2023, team boss Wolff is now examining who will support the British.
The decision is between veteran Valtteri Bottas, whose presence at Mercedes helped Hamilton’s last four championships, and George Russell, the youngster who excelled at Williams, who impressed at last season’s Sakhir Grand Prix instead of a Covid-struck Hamilton.
And it seems that Formula 1 fans don’t have to wait long for the decision to be made.
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“Will George Russell move to Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes? I think about it most mornings
“We have to choose between the stability of Valtteri and the talent of George, where the future lies,” said Wolff in an interview with the German newspaper Bild. “I want the matter to be resolved in September so that both of them can position themselves well for the coming season.”
The move to promote Russell to a Mercedes car is practically safe. The only question is when to implement the change. Since the departure of the then champion Nico Rosberg at the end of the 2016 season, Mercedes’s strategy has been to use a second driver as a supporting actor instead of a real contender.
Bottas was brought in to play second fiddle, despite never liking the nickname, pulling Hamilton’s title rivals – most notably Sebastian Vettel during the Ferrari Days and, more recently, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen – podiums while his teammate scooped up the points.
Having a compliant # 2 has worked for Mercedes up to this season. While Bottas occupied five third places in the first half of 2021, he did not prove to be any faster than Verstappen.
Finally the strength of the Silver Arrows double victory has waned – and with it the decision of whether to stick to the current setup or turn to Russell.
For Wolff, this could be a gamble. Hamilton is now under contract with Mercedes for the next two seasons, during which time Mercedes is hoping Russell will take the No. 1 spot. But can Russell, a man who despite his obvious talent has as many career points as Hamilton has titles, support the seven-time world champion before replacing him? Or does Bottas still have one season left in rear-end shooting?
Russell had said publicly that he hoped the decision would have been made by Spa next week, where the second half of this hectic season begins after the summer break. We may have to wait a few days for an announcement.
Will George Russell get his long-awaited promotion to Mercedes this winter? (Photo: Reuters)
As for the future of Mercedes in sport, Wolff has allayed fears that the team might pull out after deciding to abandon the Formula E franchise despite Nyck de Vries winning the Mercedes EQ championship this summer.
The manufacturer said it is undergoing a “realignment of resources for electric vehicle development” to bring a viable line of electric cars to market by 2030, costing £ 34 billion.
This led to concerns that arise about once a year that the Silver Arrows are also planning an exit from F1. But Wolff, whose own future seems to be in the air, insists that neither he nor the team are going anywhere.
“I thought about going back to the financial world for a year,” he added. “But we at Mercedes have decided together that Formula 1 is not just a marketing platform that we only want to use for a short time.
“We want to shape an era. Since I own 33 percent of the team, I will definitely be there. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that I have to be the team boss. “
However, 2022 will be a challenge for Mercedes. The F1 rule changes postponed this year due to the coronavirus will come into effect over the winter, and Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull are all hoping to dethrone the long-dominating Mercedes.
Perhaps this is the ideal time to mix up the pack yourself and get Russell into the garage.
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