George Russell will be following in the footsteps of Jenson Button when the 20-year-old Briton makes his Formula One Williams race debut next year, but with more experience than his now-retired world champion compatriot had at the same age.
Williams made their announcement on Friday, finally allowing the Formula Two championship leader to talk openly about the excitement he has had to contain since last month’s Russian Grand Prix.
“I’ve been trying not to act too smug,” he told Reuters in an interview.
Russell, who turns 21 in February, is a hot property and arrives with a resume of success as long as Silverstone’s Hangar straight. It is safe to say he is thrilled to be starting out with one of the great teams of British motorsport, albeit going through hard times at present, just as Button did in 2000. “It’s absolutely incredible,” he said.
“I know a huge amount about the history of Formula One and watched a number of races from the 1980s and 90s and when I went to Williams recently and walked around there, seeing all of those cars, I had a massive smile on my face.
“Seeing the (Keke) Rosberg cars back from 82 and the (Nigel) Mansell and the (Alain) Prost car. To see how everything developed over those years, I absolutely loved it. Being part of this team is just absolutely fantastic.”