F1 News
Horner sees additional threat from Mercedes: 'Certainly strengthens the team'
- GPblog.com
The battle for the world championship this year is one of the most exciting in years. Mercedes and Red Bull Racing as well as Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen are close to each other in the championship. For next year, however, there is an additional threat from Mercedes.
Reinforcements at Mercedes
Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez, the teammates of the two title rivals, are not up to scratch this season. Bottas is 95.5 points behind Hamilton and Perez even 124.5 points behind Verstappen. Verstappen therefore only has one Mercedes driver to contend with this season, but team boss Christian Horner thinks that could be different next year.
Indeed, in 2022 George Russell will switch from Williams to Mercedes. "He certainly strengthens the team," Horner revealed to Speedweek.com. "He's a great talent. You saw that in a Williams. He's started on the front row and achieved podium finishes and he's clearly a talent for the future." Russell briefly showed what he is capable of in a Mercedes back in 2020, when he filled in for Lewis Hamilton at the Sakhir Grand Prix.
Comparison with Verstappen
Horner can well understand why Toto Wolff has contracted him for Mercedes next year. "I think he really deserves that opportunity. How it will develop, only time will tell." With Verstappen, Red Bull has experienced what it is like to give a young driver a chance. "I think it's exciting for everyone to see because the one thing that doesn't stand still in this or any sport is time."
Horner, therefore, does see comparisons between Verstappen and Russel. "There's always an emerging talent, there's always someone fighting their way up. We've seen that with Max and George comes from the same era and environment. It will be fascinating to see how he holds up in that environment when he gets to the big stage."