Russell has already made feelings clear about Hamilton’s replacement

F1 preview: A lap of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix

George Russell has already revealed his thoughts on Charles Leclerc’s talent as rumours heat up that the Ferrari ace could replace Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes. Ahead of the weekend, Italian media suggested talks between Leclerc and Mercedes were an “open secret”.

Leclerc also failed to rule out a move to Silver Arrows on Thursday but admitted team boss Toto Wolff had not been in touch. Russell and Leclerc clearly enjoy a good relationship away from the track with the Mercedes star consoling the Monegasque after the Hungarian Grand Prix.

Ferrari strategists’ decision to put him on hard tyres backfired with both their cars dropping down the field despite battling for the lead early on. He even compared Leclerc’s ability to two-time world champion Max Verstappen, showing how highly he regards the 25-year-old.

Russell said: “Max and Red Bull are cruising. I think Max and Charles are on a similar level at the moment.

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“I really feel for Charles, he’s doing a superb job and he’s been on the receiving end of a lot of bad luck.” The pair enjoyed a brief spell as team-mates alongside Alex Albon in their earlier karting career.

The three all drove for the Intrepid team back in 2011 with a shared aim of reaching F1. Leclerc explained: “I’ve actually been team-mates with George. It was a long time ago in karting.

“I think what I’ve seen of him since that time is that he’s just extremely talented, and every time he got into the kart back then, or the car now, he’s just quick straight away.”

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Back in 2021, Leclerc praised Russell after his promotion to Mercedes was confirmed. He commented: “His talent makes him special. I think he deserves his chance at Mercedes and I’m pretty sure he will perform very, very well and impress more than one person.”

Two years ago, Russell stressed that Leclerc and Verstappen were both “incredible” drivers and predicted they could dominate the sport for a decade. However, Russell warned he would still be challenging the duo and even teased he would be prepared to partner up in the same team.

He added: “I see that potentially there could be a fierce rivalry in the future so I look forward to that challenge. Whether that’s fighting against them in different cars, or whether that’s fighting against each other as team-mates.”

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