George Russell goes from Lewis Hamilton autograph hunter to Mercedes teammate as British Formula 1 star replaces Valtteri Bottas

George Russell has been confirmed as Lewis Hamilton's new Mercedes teammate, replacing Valtteri Bottas.

The much-anticipated announcement comes after Bottas sealed a move to Alfa Romeo for 2022.

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The 2018 Formula 2 world champion has been part of Mercedes’ young driver programme since 2017, and has earned his reputation as one of the sport's most exciting rising stars during his first two seasons in F1.

Last year, he replaced Hamilton at Mercedes for the Sakhir Grand Prix after the 36-year-old contracted COVID-19, and put in a sensational substitute performance.

Russell qualified second on the grid and breezed past pole-sitter Bottas with ease, before cruelly having the win taken for him due to a botched pit-stop.

The 23-year-old again boosted his reputation this season, putting in one of the sport’s all-time great performances when he landed his Williams car second place on the grid at the rain-soaked Belgian Grand Prix.

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Commenting on his blockbuster transfer, Russell said: "It's a special day for me personally and professionally.

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't absolutely buzzing. It's a huge opportunity and one I want to grab with both hands.

"But I'm under no illusions as to the scale of the challenge; it's going to be a steep learning curve.

"I want to do my new team-mates proud. Of course, one of those new team-mates is in my opinion the greatest driver of all time.

"I've looked up to Lewis since I was in go-karts and the opportunity to learn from someone who has become a role model both on and off track can only benefit me as a driver, a professional, and a human being."

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Pictures emerged of Russell standing waiting for Hamilton's autograph as far back as 2009 and is now his teammate.

Meanwhile, Bottas is in his fifth year at Mercedes after he replaced retiring world champion Nico Rosberg in 2017, and has contributed to seven consecutive constructors titles for the German outfit.

The 32-year-old has finished as a runner-up in the drivers championship to teammate Lewis Hamilton in 2019 and 2020, picking up nine race wins along the way.

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Bottas has been a key figure in Hamilton matching Michael Schumacher’s record of seven driver’s world championships, a stark contrast to former teammate Rosberg who beat Hamilton to the title in 2016.

So much so that Team Principal referred to the Finn as a ‘sensational wingman’ in 2018, but Bottas later claimed he was hurt by this.

Hamilton has repeatedly to maintain his seat as speculation increased, saying: “I’ve obviously been vocal in the past of my loyalty to Valtteri, and worked incredibly closely with him.

“I think our working relationship is better than ever.”

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But as Bottas departs to replace his retiring countryman Kimi Raikkonen at Alfa Romeo, Hamilton is set to be paired up with a far more competitive teammate next season.

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