George Russell has acknowledged the changing atmosphere at Mercedes following Lewis Hamilton's departure to Ferrari. The 40-year-old agreed to leave the Silver Arrows last year, having struggled for consistency over the past few years.

Lewis is such a huge personality on and off the track but I think everyone within the team is very much excited for this next chapter really.”

Lewis Hamilton, meanwhile, is eyeing up a record eighth world title after moving from Mercedes to Ferrari over the winter. The first day of Bahrain testing got underway at 7am GMT this morning, with a lunch break scheduled for 11am before the session ends at 4pm.

George Russell insists he will know “within five laps” of testing whether he can win the F1 world championship this year. The Mercedes driver, who is entering his fourth year with the team but first without Lewis Hamilton as a teammate,

For the past two months all attention has focused on Lewis Hamilton’s grand entrance at Ferrari – now his old team is ready to talk about its own future

While Andrea Kimi Antonelli topped the first pre-season test session in Bahrain, George Russell is waiting for his moment to drive the car later on this afternoon. Beforehand, the Briton reflected on what does Lewis Hamilton leaving mean for Mercedes,