George Russell will stand in for Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes at this weekend’s Sakhir Grand Prix, it has been confirmed.
On Tuesday, the seven-time world champion was ruled out of the second race in Bahrain following a positive test for Covid-19, resulting in him going into isolation for 10 days.
Typically, reserve driver Stoffel Vandoorne would be considered the obvious choice, but Mercedes has instead decided to give Russell a chance alongside Valtteri Bottas.
“Firstly, I want to say a huge thank you to everybody at Williams for giving me this opportunity,” said the Briton. “I might be wearing a different race 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 chance to learn from the best outfit on the grid right now and to come back as an improved driver, with even more energy and experience to help push Williams further up the grid,” he added. “A big thank you also to Mercedes for putting their faith in me.
“Obviously, nobody can replace Lewis, but I’ll give my all for the team in his absence from the moment I step in the car. Most importantly, I wish him a speedy recovery. I’m really looking forward to the opportunity and can’t wait to get out on track this week.”
The man who’ll take Russell’s seat at Williams is their reserve and F2 driver Jack Aitken, who has been closely involved with the Grove-based team this season and drove their car in FP1 at the second race in Austria.
“I’m absolutely over the moon to have the opportunity to make my debut with Williams this coming weekend and I am extremely happy for George to have his chance too,” said Aitken,
“I really mean it when I say I’ve felt very much at home here since I joined Williams earlier this year, so to get my chance to help the team try to achieve that elusive points finish is an extremely satisfying occasion to say the least.
“I’ll be doing all I can to prepare in the coming days, but truthfully, I feel like I have been ready since Melbourne. I also want to wish Lewis well in his recovery, and good luck to George getting the chance to drive the Mercedes this weekend.”
Both teams have confirmed this arrangement could stay in place if Hamilton is also unable to drive next weekend in Abu Dhabi.