Formula 2 driver and Mercedes junior George Russell will drive for Williams in 2019 it was confirmed on Friday.
The Briton, who leads the junior series by 37 points with just two rounds left in Abu Dhabi in November, has been pushing for a promotion onto the F1 grid and now the engine ties between Mercedes and Williams have been enough to secure that move up.
“It is a huge honour to join a team of Williams’ prestige and heritage,” said Russell upon the announcement.
“I would like to thank Claire [Williams] and everyone at Williams for their faith in making this decision, as well as Toto [Wolff] and the team at Mercedes for their fantastic support throughout GP3 and F2.
“I am incredibly excited to start working with everyone at Grove and to take my first steps as an F1 race driver.
“I cannot wait for Melbourne next year and to join Williams at what we all believe will be the start of an exciting new journey.”
Deputy team boss Claire Williams welcomed the 20-year-old to the squad as he, along with McLaren’s Lando Norris are tipped to be future of British motorsport.
“He is already highly regarded in the paddock and a driver whose career we have been watching for a while,” she said.
“In the time we have spent with him so far, we believe that he will be a great fit for our team; his commitment, passion and dedication is exactly what we need to drive the positive momentum building at Grove as we focus on the future.
“We are extremely excited to welcome George and working with him moving forward.”
The move also means Esteban Ocon, a fellow Mercedes junior, is all-but guaranteed not to be on the F1 grid next season with his seat at Force India to be given to Lance Stroll.
Current Williams driver Sergey Sirotkin is a strong contender to be retained as Russell’s teammate after a solid rookie season and also the financial backing he provides but another Russian, Artem Markelov is also believed to be an option.