George Russell expressed confidence moving forward without Lewis Hamilton, regardless of who his next teammate will be.
Lewis Hamilton will be leaving Mercedes for Ferrari at the end of the upcoming season, and that means that George Russell will have a new teammate starting from season 2025.
While it isn't clear so far who exactly the teammate will be, the 25-year-old suggested there is no driver he would be afraid of going against after racing alongside the seven-time World Champion. He told the media:
"It's going to be an interesting few months to see what happens. But from my side, I've been teammates with arguably the greatest driver of all time for the past two years. I've got no concerns at all who lines up alongside me."
Being one of the best and biggest teams on the F1 grid, Mercedes will have a ton of drivers to choose from. Names in the mix include Fernando Alonso, Carlos Sainz, Alex Albon, Sebastian Vettel, and Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
But it seems like Russell really has no reason to fear anyone as he proved himself during his time alongside the 39-year-old.
The head-to-head score between Russell and Hamilton for the two seasons they spent together is 1:1, which is not bad considering Hamilton is, as the 25-year-old says, "the very best."
"I want to be tested against the very best. And I feel that's what I've had the last two years."
Former F1 driver Martin Brundle asserted he does not doubt that the Briton can take over the role of the leader at Mercedes once Hamilton departs the team. The Mercedes Formula One driver added:
"Whether it's an experienced driver or a young driver, I feel that personally, I'm in a great position to help push the team forward and go into this next chapter for the team."