George Russell was asked at the press conference if he had anything to announce about his future and he said “there is nothing to announce.” They cross-asked if he knew where he is going to race in 2022 and he said “yes, since before Spa”. It is an open secret that the Englishman will be Hamilton’s next teammate at Mercedes and will be announced in the coming days, although Toto Wolff hopes to have Valtteri Bottas’s seat confirmed on the next grid so as not to leave his pilot in the lurch. Hamilton’s tone towards him has also changed in recent days, he continues to defend Valtteri as his ideal partner but admits that Russell is “the future”.
Bottas, at the same time, maintains that things are going “in a good direction.” The Finn wants a multi-year contract, which he never had at Mercedes, and Alfa Romeo seems like the ideal destination. He’s a grand prix winner, has nine wins, and Sauber needs an experienced and hard-working replacement to fill in for Raikkonen. The situation of Giovinazzi, a Ferrari academy driver who settled in the Swiss team, and is usually ahead of Kimi, but whose future is still unknown, is not clear. He has even been linked to the Maranello endurance program, although F1 is a priority for him.
Among the futuribles on the grid, Nick de Vries, a Mercedes-linked Formula E champion, or Alex Albon, a Red Bull development driver, have sounded. The Williams released by Russell is interesting for drivers who have strayed from the F1 route recently. Latifi seems with options to continue in the other Oxford car. No changes are expected in Haas, with Mick Schumacher and Mazepin, nor in Alpha Tauri, with Gasly and Tsunoda.