George Russell is fully aware of the daunting task that awaits him next season with Mercedes, saying that racing alongside Lewis Hamilton will be "the greatest challenge" he has ever faced in his motorsport career.
Russell will conclude his impressive three-year apprenticeship with Williams at the end of the season, having delivered results – especially this year – that have often surpassed the British outfit's potential.
The 23-year-old's promotion to a plum seat at Mercedes where he will replace Alfa Romeo-bound Valtteri Bottas is a massive break, but one the young gun insists is only "a first step" towards his development as a topflight F1 driver.
"Signing the Mercedes contract was one of the greatest moments in my life, but it is only the first step," Russell told Bild. "The really hard work has yet to come.
"To drive for a team like Mercedes and alongside Lewis Hamilton – if I thought it was easy, I would be foolish.
"I am happy, but I also know that things are only really getting started now. It’s going to be the greatest challenge I’ve ever faced.
"I know what it took to get here. Getting into Formula 1 is not the end. My goal is to become World Champion."
Russell's self-proclaimed ambition is in phase with Mercedes' own expectations regarding its recruit.
And in light of his spectacular one-off with the Brackley squad in Bahrain in 2020, team boss Toto Wolff isn't dismissing Russell beating Hamilton to the title next season.
Speaking to Motorsport-Total, Wolff said that Russell must "confirm that he can regularly deliver top performances like in Bahrain 2020 to fight for a championship".
"That can happen in the first year and would be a luxury problem that we would then have to solve."
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