George Russell signals to Toto Wolff his dream Lewis Hamilton replacement

George Russell has signed a new contract with Mercedes George Russell has singled out Max Verstappen as his dream team-mate at Mercedes after Lewis Hamilton retires from F1. The British duo both signed contract extensions with the Silver Arrows ahead of the Italian Grand Prix this weekend. The 25-year-old Briton joined forces with Hamilton last season, beating the seven-time world champion over the course of the season and claiming his first and the team’s only win of the season at Interlagos. Unfortunately for Russell, this campaign has been a much more difficult affair. The King’s Lynn-born driver is tied for points with Ferrari ace Charles Leclerc, leaving him sitting in P7 in the standings, 57 points behind his experienced team-mate. Speaking to Canal+ about his dream team-mate, Russell replied: ‘I’d pick Max. Because when I joined Mercedes to be teammates with Lewis, Lewis was and is regarded as the best driver of all time. ‘You want to go against the best, test yourself against the best, learn from the best. For me, having these 18 months alongside Lewis has been really, really great to push my boundaries, to learn more about myself as a driver and as an individual. ‘And obviously Max is at the top of his game, right now. Destroying Formula 1. So we’d all want to go against Max, and see how we get on.’ Russell has good reason to be impressed by Verstappen’s performances this season. The Dutch driver is cruising to his third successive World Championship and has the chance to break the record for the most consecutive Grand Prix victories at the Italian GP. SUBSCRIBE Invalid email We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info Max Verstappen would be George Russell’s dream team-mate