WHY MERCEDES HAD TO REPLACE HAMILTON WITH RUSSELL AND WHAT'S AT STAKE

Take a look at why Mercedes Benz F1 team had to replace Lewis Hamilton after contracting Covid-19 with George Russell, and what's really at stake for Mercedes Benz.

Lewis Hamilton contracting Covid-19 after the last F1 Grand Prix at Bahrain made instant headline news. Although Lewis is not too worried, as he has already secured his seventh World Championship for 2020, this puts the Mercedes Benz team in a bit of a situation.

Mercedes Benz chose George Russell to replace Hamilton in the next race, and possibly the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi too. Russell will race with his temporary teammate, Valtteri Bottas, which is a once in a lifetime (if that) opportunity for the young driver.

Despite Mercedes Benz wanting to accommodate younger drivers in the F1 team, they have never taken smaller divisions seriously, like what Red Bull offers with Alpha Tauri. Not because they didn't want to, but because they simply couldn't as their sponsors find a "smaller" winning team more appealing for their brands.

This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for Mercedes to gather insight to how a younger and more inexperienced driver would perform in their platform. This might sound rather counterproductive but, at the same time, gives the team a broader perspective on their decision making when hiring potential future drivers.

Take a look at the video below by YouTube channel, The Race, on Why Mercedes Benz Had To Replace Lewis Hamilton With George Russell And What's Really At Stake.

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