Russell expresses ambition: 'I want to be world champion'

George Russell seems set to be in a Mercedes car next season. The British driver seems to be the successor of Valtteri Bottas who was Lewis Hamilton's teammate in recent years. Russell himself however remains stoic under the rumours.

The Williams driver is doing a great job with his team this season. Russell was close to scoring his first points at several races, but was unlucky every time he failed to do so. During the Hungarian Grand Prix the driver was lucky and thanks to his eighth place finish he was able to add four points to his world championship tally.

Russell has been clear about his ambitions in recent years and still has a clear goal in mind. "My ambitions and goals are incredibly clear," he said in conversation with F1ingenerale.com. "I want to be world champion. But I would never put my agenda or goals above the team, no matter who my teammate is."

For now, it remains to be seen whether Mercedes will actually make the decision to replace Bottas. The Finnish driver has a good contact with seven-time world champion Hamilton and his team. In Hungary Bottas made a big mistake by driving into Lando Norris' car during the start, which forced several drivers to retire.