GROVE, England (AP) — George Russell will leave his role as reserve driver for Mercedes to take up a full-time seat with Williams in Formula One next season.
The British-based team said Friday it signed a "multi-year agreement" with the 20-year-old Briton.
Russell leads the Formula 2 championship standings and is the test and back-up driver at world champion Mercedes.
He says racing in F1 "has been a life-long dream" and that "it feels surreal that I will now be lining up on the grid, alongside drivers whom I have admired for years."
Williams deputy team principal Claire Williams says Russell "is already highly regarded in the paddock and a driver whose career we have been watching for a while."
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