'As long as Hamilton is driving at Mercedes, Russell isn't going to come there'

Mercedes is in full battle with Red Bull Racing for the World Championship this season. Although Lewis Hamilton made up ground during the British Grand Prix, he is still eight points behind Max Verstappen. Nevertheless, the team are already working towards next season.

Doubts about Valtteri Bottas' performance have been brewing for years. The Finnish driver was the successor to Nico Rosberg who won the world championship in his last season. Rosberg and Hamilton often quarreled with each other on the track, and when Rosberg retired, Mercedes decided to put a different type of driver next to the now seven-time World Champion.

This season, however, Bottas' performance have again disappointed and the media often mentions the name of George Russell when talking about his successor. Russell is doing well at Williams and seems to have the talent to perform at Mercedes. However, Giedo van der Garde doesn't think Russell will go to the German racing stable, he told Formula 1 Café on Ziggo Sport. "I'm not convinced. As long as Hamilton is driving at Mercedes, he's not going to come there."

It would mean that Russell will not be driving at a top team next season either. The analyst expects little to change about the Englishman's situation. "He'll just stay at Williams."