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Marko thinks Wolff is not telling the truth: 'Russell has already signed'

12:48, 23 Jul 2021

byGPblog.com

Toto Wolff is circling the issue of whether a decision has already been made at Mercedes as to who will sit alongside Lewis Hamilton in 2022. George Russell and Valtteri Bottas are the two contenders, but according to the German team itself, no decision has been made yet. Helmut Marko thinks Wolff is lying about that.

According to the Red Bull Racing advisor OE24 Sport, "I think he [Russell] has already signed with them, everything is fixed." Wolff also seems to be hinting more and more at the arrival of the young Brit, but according to him, nothing is on paper yet.

Marko has been right before

Remarkably, Marko was right once before. When Nico Rosberg decided to hang up his helmet after his 2016 world title, Marko told Niki Lauda on Austrian television, "So you're taking Bottas?" Lauda, who died in 2019, did not confirm that at the time, but not much later Marko's assessment proved to have been correct.

Mercedes have already revealed that in the event that Bottas has to leave, they will help the Finn look for a new team. The management of the current number four in the world championship has already had talks with Alfa Romeo Racing. Kimi Raikkonen seems to be working on his last season in Formula 1 there. More information about the plans of Mercedes is expected around the summer break.