'Don't make any mistakes here, George Russell is the real deal'

Sky F1 commentator David Croft says Mercedes have got “the real deal” in George Russell, and believes the Briton has World Champion potential.

Russell’s long-awaited move to the Silver Arrows was confirmed on Tuesday, following the announcement that Valtteri Bottas will be making the switch to Alfa Romeo in 2022.

Team principal Toto Wolff said that Bottas had “deserved to stay” with his current employers, but Sky’s lead commentator felt that promoting Russell to the Mercedes senior squad was the right thing to do long-term.

Croft told Sky Sports: “Ever since Toto Wolff put Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton on a contract that ended at the end of this season, with George Russell’s contract at Williams also coming to an end at the end of this season, we knew that two into three didn’t go and someone had to make way.

“And in the end, it is Valtteri Bottas, and I think that is the right choice as well.

“You can argue long and hard that Valtteri deserves to stay, after all he’s finished runner-up in the Championship to Lewis Hamilton for the last two seasons. But they have got to look to the future, and George Russell very much is the future.”

It’s official. Next year, I’ll be a Mercedes F1 driver. This is a special day for me and I want to say a huge thank you to @WilliamsRacing, @MercedesAMGF1 and everyone who has supported me in getting to where I am today. I couldn’t have done it without every single one of you.