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Russell to stay at Williams, Bottas set for new Merc deal

George Russell has confirmed he will stay with Williams in 2021 as Valtteri Bottas looks set to sign an extension with Mercedes.

Russell, the 2018 F2 champion, is a Mercedes junior driver and seen as the next in line whenever the world champions have a vacancy. His hopes of a seat for next season depended on Mercedes parting company with Bottas, as a new contract for Lewis Hamilton has been a formality for some time.

Speaking at a socially distanced press conference ahead of this weekend's Hungarian Grand Prix, Russell confirmed the news, joking "You heard it here first!