British driver, George Russell would fill in for Lewis Hamilton this weekend at the Sakhir GP while the champion driver takes time to recover after testing positive for the coronavirus.
Russell, who is currently a driver for Williams, was given the opportunity by Mercedes, where he was their reserve driver in 2018. Russell would only drive for Mercedes temporarily this weekend, but could also drive next weekend if Hamilton’s condition does not improve. Jack Aitken would make his F1 debut this weekend as he takes Russell’s place in Williams.
Hamilton tested positive for the coronavirus on Monday after winning the Bahrain GP the previous day. Before that, he had tested negative three times, including the Sunday he won at Bahrain. This weekend would be the first time Hamilton would miss a race since joining F1 13 years ago. Mercedes then had to reach out to Russell, who had trained under them, but first had to get the permission of his team. It is expected that Russell would join team Mercedes sometime in the future but that seems quite uncertain now. Instead, he would get the chance to race a Mercedes car as he steps in the shoe of the greatest driver alive.
Speaking on the opportunity, Russell expressed his gratitude at being given such a rare chance. He acknowledged the fact that no one could take Lewis’ place but he was going to put in his best this weekend on the tracks. According to him, he would use the opportunity to learn from “the best outfit on the grid right now” and hopes to return to Williams with some improvement. He also noted that even though he was going to adorn a different outfit this weekend, he was still a Williams driver and would be cheering for his team.
Russell and Mercedes have had quite a history and this race might give Mercedes the chance to assess the driver, who is yet to gain any F1 points. Mercedes approached Williams earlier this year to see if they could release Russell before his contract expires in 2022, but they declined. Now that Williams is under new ownership, their response, if approached again, might be different.
Written by: Leon Osamor
