Eighteen-year-old young British driver George Russell has been recruited by Mercedes-AMG Potronas to join the manufacturer's junior driver programme in 2017.
Russell, a recipent of the McLaren Autosport BRDC Award in 2014, finished third in last season European F3 series, with Mercedes-Benz powering him to a total of three pole positions, two wins, ten podium finishes and five fastest race laps along the way.
The rising star becomes the third member of the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport Junior Programme, joining incumbents Pascal Wehrlein and Esteban Ocon.
"It's great to be part of the Junior Programme," beamed George.
"It is an incredibly opportunity to have the backing of the Formula 1 World Champions. I'm proud to have been given this kind of recognition for all the hard work that's gone into my career over the years so far."
Russell will compete this year in the GP3 series with ART Grand Prix on Formula 1 weekends.
"George has shown impressive form in the junior categories and we've been keeping a close eye on him for a while now," commented Toto Wolff.
"It's still early days in his career but we see great potential in him. George's next challenge in GP3 will provide a good test of his credentials for the future.
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