Russell’s ‘eye-opening’ first visit to Mercedes' F1 factory

The 23-year-old Briton has earned promotion to Mercedes following an impressive three-season stint at Williams and is expected to partner seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, having replaced Valtteri Bottas. 

Russell visited Mercedes’ factories in Brackley and Brixworth for the first time last month and also had a go on the team’s F1 simulator. 

Mercedes’ video showed Russell getting a tour around the eight-time world constructors’ champions' F1 Brackley headquarters as he met staff members and familiarised himself with his new home. 

Russell also took a trip to the home of Mercedes’ renowned High Performance Powertrains at Brixworth, which has been a key pillar behind the German marque’s success in F1 during the V6 hybrid era. 

Addressing team personnel during his visit, Russell admitted it was an “eye-opening” experience. 

You can watch the full video below. 

@GeorgeRussell63 meets the Team in Brackley and Brixworth!

— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) February 1, 2022

Russell, who drove for Mercedes at the end-of-season Pirelli tyre test in Abu Dhabi last December, will be on hand to help Mercedes launch its 2022 challenger - the W13 - on February 18. 

He is expected to get behind the wheel of Mercedes latest F1 car during an initial shakedown test on the same day at Silverstone, the home of the British Grand Prix. 

The first pre-season test takes place at the Circuit de Barcelona Catalunya in Spain between February 23-25, ahead of a second three-day test in Bahrain on March 10-12. 

F1’s new era will begin on March 20 with the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix.