"Mercedes will reward me with that loyalty" - George Russell impressed by new team's treatment of former driver

Future Mercedes star George Russell is impressed by the loyalty the German team has shown to Valtteri Bottas. The young Briton is set to replace the Finn in 2022.

Russell praised his future team's loyalty to Bottas, the Finnish driver who helped the team win multiple constructors' trophies. The Briton feels he will be rewarded with a similar loyalty if he performs well next to teammate Lewis Hamilton. He told Motorsport Magazine:

“What I admire so much about Mercedes and Toto is how loyal they are to their own. Valtteri has been such a key figure, and a key driver for them to help them achieve all of these World Championships along the way. There’s a lot of people [who] can say some negative things, or [him] being off the pace of Lewis Hamilton. But he’s been an incredibly important part of all of that success, and they want to reward that loyalty. And maybe if he went through one or two bad races throughout last year, they’re not just going to get the axe out and say, ‘Thank you very much, and see you later.’”

The Mercedes philosophy seems to be very different to Red Bull's. The Austrian team replaced both Alex Albon and Pierre Gasly for failing to keep up with Max Verstappen's pace.

Valtteri Bottas had a successful stint at Mercedes, helping the team win the constructors' title every year since his entry in 2017. The Finnish driver is set to replace his compatriot Kimi Raikkonen in Alfa Romeo in 2022.

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Mercedes' loyalty helps whole team perform, says George Russell

The much-hyped driver, nicknamed 'Mr Saturday', claims the loyalty shown by the eight-times constructors' champions is what helps them perform well as a unit. The Briton is certain he will receive his share of loyalty and faith from Toto Wolff and others if he performs up to their standards. He said:

“I guess that loyalty brings faith to me as a driver, equally to the 2000 employees that Mercedes have between Brackley and Brixworth. If I work hard and I perform the goods, they are going to reward me with that loyalty, and I don’t have to have any concerns about my job or my future. You can probably go ahead and perform even better. So, I guess that’s what I really admire from those guys, and they certainly do things quite differently to other teams down the grid. That loyalty that he’s shown Valtteri, if I perform, he’ll show to me and everybody else in the team when they do a good job.”

While Lewis Hamilton's future in the sport is contingent on the results of the ongoing FIA inquiry, fans can look forward to seeing Russell in the best possible seat to win a championship.