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Lewis Hamilton’s departure from Mercedes to Ferrari resulted in rookie Kimi Antonelli being selected to partner George Russell this season onwards, meaning it is the 26-year-old Briton who will be the more established of the pair. With 128 race starts under his belt, Russell says he feels ready to lead Mercedes, and although he turns 27 before the new season starts he still believes he’s young in terms of when most drivers have historically achieved their greatest success.
“I recognize my role as the more experienced driver,” Russell said. “There are a lot of great young drivers coming onto the grid and it makes you realize you are no longer the youngster. But this is not the beginning of the end, rather the end of the beginning.
“I am entering a new chapter in my career. I am ending my beginning and entering the mid-stage. Lewis was 29 when he joined Mercedes and started winning all those championships, and Michael [Schumacher] was early 30s at Ferrari.
“Nowadays everyone starts younger and younger — my debut came at 20. But I feel ready now to fulfill roles at the team, but the most important part of that is driving as quickly as possible, and I feel in a good place to do that.
“I’ll continue to want to learn and be open and take nothing for granted. You either have the speed or you don’t, but there is no doubt these guys coming in are going to be competitive.”
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Despite Antonelli’s lack of experience, Russell says the 18-year-old’s feedback will still be vital and needs to be listened to on an equal footing.
“He is such a fantastic driver. He does not have the experience yet, but I am sure he will be up to speed very quickly,” Russell said. “He has already integrated so well. We have both been racing from a young age and we know what needs to be fed back to the team. He is young, but his opinion will be just as valid.”
Alongside Antonelli, Mercedes has also welcomed back Valtteri Bottas as a reserve driver this season, and Russell says previous run-ins — accentuated by the eventual outcome of Russell replacing the Finn in 2022 — have not hurt their current-day relationship.
“His experience is going to be massive. Having someone with so much simulator and racing knowledge, and who fully knows the team is going to be great,” he said of Bottas. “Hearing about his last few years at Sauber with the Ferrari engine could be key too. You always have to keep an open mind as to what others are doing and he has all of that under his belt.
“Obviously years ago we were perceived to not have a strong relationship, but we are both professionals and our relationship has grown. We often travel together and see each other at hotels or in the gym.”
