George Russell has weighed in on the rumours surrounding himself, Sergio Perez and his seat at Williams by saying they be fuelled by the Mexican's camp to put other teams under pressure.
The possible arrival of Perez would probably mean the departure of Russell from the Williams team. If Russell was released, getting a 2021 seat somewhere could become a tricky story. However, the young Briton has already got contract for 2021 at the his current team.
Perez wants to increase pressure on Red Bull
However, Russell thinks Perez's management wants to put pressure on the Red Bull team to make a quick decision about who Max Verstappen's teammate will be next season. Christian Horner and Helmut Marko will have to soon make a decision about their number two driver next season.
"Nothing's changed," said Russell in conversation with The Race when asked if there had been any recent movement regarding his future. "I try and do my talking on the track and, as I said before, I am not concerned for next year. I know Mercedes and Toto (Wolff) have my back, Toto himself has told me that, which I absolutely trust. I think all of this speculation has probably been fed by the Perez camp, who are trying to apply pressure on other teams, potentially [for] a Red Bull seat - so that's my view on it."
Russell has spoken to new management
Nicholas Latifi's teammate also indicated that he has already spoken extensively with Williams' new owners. They assured him that his seat will not be in danger before 2021. "I have a contract, I have nothing to worry about and I'm just here to concentrate on my work," he concluded
Contract, unfortunately doesn't mean much presently. From Dorilton Capital/s point of view, as Fund Mangers, they are there to maximise their profits in all their investments. Having a driver who can bring Millions $$ to the team would be a huge advantage to their bottom line. That means they dont have to put in that much of their own money to get to the $145 Million budget cap for 2021. They will likely just pay you out as what Checo will bring with him is a lot more than what they have to pay to you for not driving for them next year. Lets hope Mercedes will put you in Botta's seat if that happens.
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