George Russell believes Nyck de Vries is deserving of a place on the Formula 1 grid next season.
The Dutchman has been linked to a number of seats since making an impressive cameo in place of Alex Albon at the Italian Grand Prix last month.
The Formula E world champion was drafted in on Saturday morning in Monza, going on to start the race inside the top 10 (owing to grid penalties for others) and scoring two points in the race.
That performance caught the eye of Red Bull, with the 27-year-old expected to drive for Scuderia AlphaTauri next season in place of the Alpine-bound Pierre Gasly.
“He obviously did an excellent job,” Russell said of de Vries’ performance.
“I think he’s, throughout all of our karting careers, [Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc, and I] raced against him, knew him well.
“He was always one of the very best and there’s no doubt he’s deserving of a place in Formula 1.
“That’s how the sport is sometimes,” he added, noting de Vries’ prolonged journey to the sport’s peak.
“There’s 20 drivers, not everybody gets an opportunity, but certainly now he’s proved everything he has to.”
De Vries’ debut was somewhat reminiscent of Russell’s own appearance at Mercedes in 2020 when Lewis Hamilton was forced out of the Sakhir Grand Prix due to COVID.
Already earmarked as a future star, the Brit put in an impressive performance to qualify on the front row and lead the race, only for a puncture to cruel his hopes of a maiden victory.
Russell had little notice prior to stepping into the Mercedes, making his performance all the more impressive given the limited knowledge he had of the car and its systems.
However, he suggests de Vries’ effort at Williams trumps his own.
“I think probably tougher for him to be honest than it was for me because I was obviously a full-time race driver then,” Russell explained.
“As well for him jumping from Aston Martin on Friday into Williams, it’s a different car, the seating position is different.
“I remember when I was doing testing with Mercedes, Force India at the time, and driving F2, it took quite a few laps just to get used to a different feeling of how those cars reacted.
“There’s not a lot more to say. To score points on your debut in a Williams, it’s pretty spectacular.”
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