George Russell will step up from Williams to replace world champion Lewis Hamilton, who tested positive for Covid-19, at Formula One’s Sakhir Grand Prix in Bahrain, Mercedes announced Wednesday.
Williams reserve Jack Aitken will replace Russell at Williams this weekend, joining regular driver Nicholas Latifi.
“Firstly, I want to say a huge thank you to everybody at Williams for giving me this opportunity,” said Russell.
“I might be wearing a different race suit this weekend, but I’m a Williams driver and I’ll be cheering my team on every step of the way.”
Russell becomes just the third Briton to represent Mercedes in Formula One after Stirling Moss and Lewis Hamilton.
“A big thank you also to Mercedes for putting their faith in me,” added Russell.