Russell is going head-to-head with Mercedes incu🤪mbent Valtteri Botta🧸s in the race to partner seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton at the German marquee next season.

Mercedes is yet to decide on who it will place alongside Hamilton for 2022 and Russell and Bottas 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:remained coy about the situation as they faced the media for the first time since returning from F1’s summer break ahead 𒅌of the Belgian Grand Prix this weekend.

Speaking later on Thursday, Verstappen, who was fast-tracked into his current Red Bull seat after just over one full-season in F1, reckons Russell is ready to make the step up to a front-runn♏ing♛ team.

“For sure George is very quick and he can’t st✃ay where he is forever,” Verstappen replied when asked if he fel🐓t Russell deserved the Mercedes seat.

“I think he deseꦍrves more. But at the end of the day it is up to Mercedes to make the call right, so it’s not really from my side.

“But for s💞ure I rate him as a driver and he is still very young as well, so it’s natural tha🃏t at some point they move up, especially the good drivers.”

Like Ve♊rstappen, Leclerc also earned his promotion to Ferrari after just a single season in the lower midfield with S💟auber.

Russell has so far been made to wait for his big F1 break despite co🙈nsistent starring displays for Williams in his two-and-a-half seasons at Grove.

And Leclerc feels his former F3 rookie rival d꧑eserves his chance to shine at Mercedes.

“It’s great if George gets that seat 🌳because he deserves it,” said Leclerc.

“It is always very difficult to judge in Formula 1, because the cars are sꦉo different and obviously with George being at Williams it is always difficult to judge how much of a good 🍌job he’s doing.

“He’s consistently ♛there and showing good things and also in the past I’ve raced with him and I know ho💎w strong is George.

“So, he definitely deserves that spot and I think it would 🍰be great to have such a talented driver in that seat.”