Russell replaces Hamilton at Mercedes for Sakhir GP

Williams driver George Russell will replace Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes for the Sakhir Grand Prix this weekend after Hamilton tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday.

Williams, an engine customer from Mercedes, agreed to release the 22-year-old for racing this weekend and announced that he would replace Russell with his reserve driver, Jack Aitken.

Russell has a contract with Williams until the end of 2021, but is managed by Mercedes and has a separate long-term contract with the world champion.

On Monday when word came of Hamilton’s positive test, Mercedes reached out to Williams about Russell’s availability, and when a deal was struck, the two teams confirmed the driver change on Wednesday morning.

It’s not clear if there is an option for Russell’s release from his Williams contract to expand to the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix the following weekend if Hamilton doesn’t return a negative COVID-19 test in time.

“First, I’d like to say a big thank you to everyone at Williams for giving me this opportunity,” said Russell. “I might be wearing a different racing suit this weekend, but I’m a Williams driver and I’ll be cheering my team on every step of the way.

“I see this as a great opportunity to learn from the best outfit on the grid and to come back as an improved driver with even more energy and experience to keep Williams on the grid. A big thank you also to Mercedes for their trust in me.

“Of course no one can replace Lewis, but I’ll give everything for the team in his absence as soon as I get in the car. Above all, I wish him a speedy recovery.”

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff added: “First and foremost, I would like to thank our loyal partners at Williams for their cooperation and openness, which made it possible for George to drive for Mercedes this weekend.

“The discussions with the Williams team have been positive and pragmatic, and those have been key to reaching an agreement.”

He hasn’t scored a point in his 36 F1 starts, though this is largely due to Williams’ lack of competitiveness. In qualifying, he has outperformed his two teammates Robert Kubica and Nicholas Latifi at every Grand Prix since he drove.

Russell is familiar with the Mercedes team and has completed official tests with the world champion for four days. His last outing was in Bahrain last year.

He was named as a potential replacement for Valtteri Bottas in 2022 and the two drivers will be merged as teammates this weekend.

“It won’t be an easy task for George to make the transition from Williams to W11, but he is race-ready and has a detailed understanding of 2020 tires and their performance on this generation of vehicles,” added Wolff. “George has shown impressive form with Williams this year which has been instrumental in promotion and I am optimistic that he will do a strong job alongside Valtteri, who will be a demanding reference for him.”

“This race will be a small milestone for us as we will see a member of our junior program compete for the Mercedes factory team for the first time. We have a job to do this weekend and that will be the full focus of our sporting efforts . ” behind Valtteri and George to maximize our score as a team.

“But of course our thoughts are with Lewis too, and we will support him as much as possible to help us recover quickly during his time of self-isolation.”