One of the most anticipated storylines of the 2022 Formula 1 season is George Russell's integration into Mercedes alongside seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton.
Hamilton and Mercedes have broken just about every F1 record, from most podiums, most pole positions, most wins and most titles ever recorded between a driver and an F1 team.
Since replacing F1 legend Michael Schumacher at the German team for the 2013 season, Mercedes has become Hamilton's team, more so since Nico Rosberg quit with his single title at the end of 2016. Thereafter Valtteri Bottas was simply no match for the Briton.
However, Russell is another prospect altogether. If 37-year-old Lewis is King of Mercedes, 24-year-old Russell is the Prince and heir apparent. This is their first year sharing the Silver roost together after the younger driver was sent to the Williams 'colony' to muster experience ahead of this most incredible and important careeer defining season that now awaits him.
Russell more than ticked every box to get this most coveted drive of all, heading to the new campaign as teammate to Sir Lewis, at Mercedes aiming to deliver at a level his predecessor was not able to attain regularly enough.
Russell: We hope Mercedes will still be the fastest team but there are no guarantees
The smart move for George, with 60 Grand Prix starts to his name, is to tap into the wealth of experience that Lewis has, bearing in mind that he has won more Grand Prix races (103) than the 60 F1 races the younger driver has started!
Thus no surprise Russell knows the drill: “Lewis and I need to work together. We can’t focus too much on each other because things are constantly changing and that’s why we need to take a step back.
“We hear rumours from all of the other teams of how much they’re developing. F1 developed this rule-set with the idea that they were going to be around four seconds slower, but we’re already hearing from every single team they’re far, far faster than that.
“We hope Mercedes will still be the fastest team, the fastest car on the grid but there are no guarantees. We need to not be naive to that, and work together to ensure that we are." he repeated.
Russell joined the Mercedes Young Driver Programme at the start of 2017, following an impressive record in the junior categories, becoming GP3 champion the same year. A year later he was Formula 2 champion, before making his F1 debt with Mercedes-customer team Williams at the 2019 Australian Grand Prix.
With two British drivers, the English media spotlight will be relentless and brighter than ever
With this in mind, the last thing Mercedes need is a civil war - Hamilton vs Rosberg style - those episodes in their history severely stretched the team's all-round well-being at the time.
Toto Wolff knows too well that such inhouse conflict has to be avoided, but the Merc team boss is confident his lads will play nice: "I have no doubt that we can create an environment of partnership between the two.
"To develop this new car, which will be essential, whilst maintaining healthy competition that will motivate them and the wider team."
Team transporters are this weekend heading to Spain for the first three-day F1 preseason test at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya that begins on Wednesday, however, on Friday the reigning F1 World Champion team gave the Mercedes W13 a shakedown at a wet Silverstone.
Russell - who was first in the cockpit of the new W13, was clearly revved up to be back in action, and most of all sampling the new car: “It almost brings me back to my roots. A cold, wet, windy day at Silverstone - but here with the Mercedes F1 team!
"This morning it gave me goosebumps when the car was fired up for the first time. I’ve driven so many laps in the simulator, had so many drawings of it, so many meetings about it. But there’s nothing like going to a race track."
Wolff: Lewis is the best driver in the world, joined by one of the brightest of their generation in George
Storm Eunice has played havoc with Europe, UK specifically, which did not auger well for early impressions of the 2022 car. Laps in the car by George and Lewis were not at high speeds, and conditions did not improve throughout the day.
Russell explained: "If you take the exact same car when there’s no wind and then you put it in 100km/h winds, it’s going to feel very difficult to drive!
"It certainly wasn’t easy out there in the conditions, but it was in line with what we saw on the simulator. We’re all going to take today with a pinch of salt," he added.
During the team launch on Friday, Wolff was happy to sing the praises of his team's new driver line-up: "Lewis is the best driver in the world, and he is joined by one of the brightest and most promising of their generation in George."
The team boss went on to report that of late, their 'new' driver has been a regular at the team's Brackley base: "George is just getting on with the job. I know he's had a good winter of training and we've seen him in the factory, working on the simulator and with his engineers.
"This team has always been his home and therefore the transition to driving for us has been very smooth," added Wolff, who will nevertheless have his hands full if, and when, his drivers battle for the same piece of tarmac - inevitable at some point in 2022!
Meanwhile, next on the agenda, the Mercedes W13 is scheduled to be run in anger (weather permitting) in testing at Barcelona from 23 to 25 February, beginning the next chapter of the great team's fascinating and illustrious journey in F1.
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