'When Mercedes makes a driver an offer, it's hard to keep him'

Valtteri Bottas is getting a lot of criticism at Mercedes for the difference in performance with his teammate Lewis Hamilton. Several media outlets, therefore, suggest that Mercedes wants to replace the driver after the season for George Russell who is doing well at Williams. CEO Jost Capito thinks that the departure cannot be stopped.

Russell hasn't scored any points in the world championship yet but his driving style shows he has a lot of talent. The 23-year-old Englishman would therefore be ready to take his place alongside Hamilton at Mercedes. "When Mercedes makes a driver an offer, it's hard for someone to keep him. It doesn't matter which driver, in which team," Capito responded in conversation with Auto, Motor und Sport.

Williams is not working on a replacement for Russell for now. "It's too early now. Several contracts are expiring. At some point, the silly season will start. Don't let it start earlier than necessary. At the moment it would be wrong to focus on alternatives or ask what a driver will do next year. That's too early in my opinion. We need to focus on the team first."

Bottas and Russell collided hard during the Grand Prix in Imola, after which both drivers were unable to continue the race. The drivers got out of their car angry.