Valtteri Bottas has been impressed by the way George Russell has adapted to the challenge of partnering Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes.
The Finn spent five years with the Silver Arrows and had a mixed experience throughout. He won 10 races and stood on the podium dozens more times, but always felt he was in his incredibly successful team-mate's shadow.
There were concerns that Russell, who earned his Mercedes seat the same way as Bottas with impressive results at Williams, might fall into the same trap. But the 23-year-old has admirably held his own so far this season, proving himself capable of out-performing Hamilton at times.
Particularly eye-catching has been his consistency. Other than at the British Grand Prix, where his participation was ended after just a few seconds when he was taken out in a huge crash at the first corner, Russell has finished in the top five at every single race.
Those results have even put him ahead of Hamilton in the standings, with the younger Brit enjoying a 19-point advantage over the seven-time world champion. Bottas, who now races with Alfa Romeo, cannot help but be impressed by what Russell has managed to achieve so far.
"I think George has done great, as expected," the Finn told reporters at the Austrian Grand Prix. "Especially as I know myself how tricky it is to beat Lewis, so yeah, he's been doing a good job."
Russell might have expected to be in the running for race wins and the world championship this year, but his debut season with Mercedes has coincided with a dip in the team's performance. They failed to match the likes of Red Bull and Ferrari when designing their 2022 car, and have been playing catch-up ever since.
Despite that disappointment, he has enjoyed the challenge so far and is largely pleased with the performances and results he has been getting. "I think as drivers you want to finish ahead of everybody, of course, and that includes your teammate," he said.
"I knew the challenge I faced ahead of the season, going up against Lewis, and I've seen first-hand just how great he is. I think in any sport you often get into a bit of a groove and a bit of a rhythm, and things seemingly go for you or seemingly go against you, and I think I obviously had quite a good run.
"Those first nine races I'd say we're pretty good, maybe eight races. The last two races have been a bit more tricky for me, of course. But [I'm] glad to be back to just try and get back on that run, but yeah I think we've seen in the last couple of races just how fast Lewis is."
