Mercedes chief Toto Wolff insists George Russell was picked as Lewis Hamilton's temporary stand-in because the Williams driver is "race-ready" and also familiar with the 2020 Pirelli tyres. Russell has been released by Mercedes' partner team Williams for this weekend. Hamilton is unable to drive having tested positive for coronavirus just days after his 11th win of the 2020 season. "First and foremost, I wish to thank our loyal partners at Williams for their collaboration and open-mindedness in making it possible for George to race for Mercedes this weekend," Wolff said in a statement. "The conversations with the team at Williams were positive and pragmatic, and those were the key factors in reaching an agreement. "It will not be a straightforward task for George to make the transition from the Williams to the W11, but he is race-ready and has detailed understanding of the 2020 tyres and how they perform on this generation of cars. "George has shown impressive form this year with Williams, playing an instrumental role in their climb up the grid, and I am optimistic that he will deliver a strong performance alongside Valtteri, who will be a demanding reference for him. "This race will mark a small milestone for us, as we see a member of our Junior programme compete for the works Mercedes team for the first time. We have a job to do this weekend, and the full focus of our sporting efforts will be behind Valtteri and George in order to maximise our points score as a team. "But, of course, our thoughts are also with Lewis, and we will be supporting him as much as we can to make a rapid recovery during his period of self-isolation."
Source: Express