Williams boss Jost Capito says George Russell would be "quite happy" to remain with the Grove-based outfit next season if Mercedes does not come calling.
Russell, a Mercedes protégé whose contract with Williams expires at the end of this season, is in line for a plum seat at the Brackley squad for 2022 along with incumbent Valtteri Bottas.
But the 23-year-old revealed in Austria this week that he had yet to open talks with either Williams or Mercedes.
While he would jump without hesitation at the opportunity to join Mercedes, with which he enjoyed a spectacular one-off last year in Bahrain, Russell has been impressed by developments of late at Williams and the team's prospects under the management of Capito and new owner Dorilton Capital.
In Capito's view, if Mercedes takes a pass on the opportunity to hire Russell, the Briton would be "quite happy" to remain at Grove for a fourth season.
"George’s contract ends at the end of the year, a three-year contract that ends, that’s it: he’s free at the end of the year," Capito said.
"I think at the moment, he likes being at Williams. He likes working with us. He sees where the team is going. He sees the changes we are doing, the approach we are taking. So he’s very supportive and positive about all of that.
"Of course, if he would get the chance to go in a Mercedes, he would be stupid not doing it.
"But if he doesn’t get the chance to get into the Mercedes, I think he would be quite happy to stay at Williams. This is all that we can work for and hope for."
Earlier this year, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff said that he would like to finalise his team's 2022 line-up over the summer. But talks could extend well into the second part of the season.
Capito says he'll likely wait until Mercedes has made a call on its future drivers before deciding its own line-up for 2022.
"We are not at the mercy to somebody," said the German.
"It’s a contract that ends, and whenever a driver’s contract ends, wherever it is, they might move on or they might stay. That’s a normal discussion.
"Of course we have to have a back-up plan, because we also see the likeliness that Mercedes will give him an offer. And then we have to see.
"But at the moment, I don’t see that we have any need to act on anything before Mercedes has decided what they’re going to do."
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