<p>Mercedes have decided who will partner Lewis Hamilton next year, team boss Toto Wolff said on Saturday after George Russell, widely tipped to land the drive, took a stunning second place for Williams in a wet qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix.</p>.<p>The 23-year-old Briton, whose career has been backed by Formula One champions Mercedes, and incumbent Valtteri Bottas have been the two drivers in contention for the seat.</p>.<p>An announcement was expected in the build-up to the Belgian Grand Prix, the first race after Formula One's summer holiday.</p>.<p>But Russell and Bottas, appearing together in Thursday's press conference, said they had no news to share and were tight-lipped about whether a decision had been communicated to them.</p>.<p>"Yes," was all Wolff, faced with a renewed barrage of questions after Russell's heroic qualifying display, said when asked if his team had made a decision.</p>.<p>Not giving away who had been picked, the Austrian said the decision had been complicated by the need to find a suitable alternative for the driver missing out.</p>.<p>"Both deserve to be looked after in the best possible way because both of them are part of the family and we hold them up high," said the Austrian.</p>.<p>"So there are pros and cons like with any driver lineup and at the end there is no such thing as a perfect discussion.</p>.<p>"We just need to manage ... the situation well with whoever driver is not going to be in a Mercedes next year and make sure that there is an exciting programme and on the other side manage the situation internally."</p>.<p>Bottas joined Mercedes in 2017, replacing retiring champion Nico Rosberg. He has won nine races in that time but has generally failed to match seven-times champion Hamilton.</p>.<p>He was eighth in qualifying at Spa on Saturday but will start 13th after a five-place grid penalty.</p>.<p>Russell, meanwhile, in his third season at Williams has been impressive, especially in qualifying.</p>.<p>Saturday's display in Belgium, where he edged out Hamilton by 0.013 seconds, was only the latest in a string of strong performances, including in Bahrain last December when he qualified second as stand-in for Hamilton and very nearly won.</p>.<p>"I think we know what we have with George," said Wolff. "He's been outstanding in the junior categories, he's been outstanding at Williams, he's been outstanding when he's been in Bahrain.</p>.<p>"The decision is also considering other factors. Let's see."</p>
<p>Mercedes have decided who will partner Lewis Hamilton next year, team boss Toto Wolff said on Saturday after George Russell, widely tipped to land the drive, took a stunning second place for Williams in a wet qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix.</p>.<p>The 23-year-old Briton, whose career has been backed by Formula One champions Mercedes, and incumbent Valtteri Bottas have been the two drivers in contention for the seat.</p>.<p>An announcement was expected in the build-up to the Belgian Grand Prix, the first race after Formula One's summer holiday.</p>.<p>But Russell and Bottas, appearing together in Thursday's press conference, said they had no news to share and were tight-lipped about whether a decision had been communicated to them.</p>.<p>"Yes," was all Wolff, faced with a renewed barrage of questions after Russell's heroic qualifying display, said when asked if his team had made a decision.</p>.<p>Not giving away who had been picked, the Austrian said the decision had been complicated by the need to find a suitable alternative for the driver missing out.</p>.<p>"Both deserve to be looked after in the best possible way because both of them are part of the family and we hold them up high," said the Austrian.</p>.<p>"So there are pros and cons like with any driver lineup and at the end there is no such thing as a perfect discussion.</p>.<p>"We just need to manage ... the situation well with whoever driver is not going to be in a Mercedes next year and make sure that there is an exciting programme and on the other side manage the situation internally."</p>.<p>Bottas joined Mercedes in 2017, replacing retiring champion Nico Rosberg. He has won nine races in that time but has generally failed to match seven-times champion Hamilton.</p>.<p>He was eighth in qualifying at Spa on Saturday but will start 13th after a five-place grid penalty.</p>.<p>Russell, meanwhile, in his third season at Williams has been impressive, especially in qualifying.</p>.<p>Saturday's display in Belgium, where he edged out Hamilton by 0.013 seconds, was only the latest in a string of strong performances, including in Bahrain last December when he qualified second as stand-in for Hamilton and very nearly won.</p>.<p>"I think we know what we have with George," said Wolff. "He's been outstanding in the junior categories, he's been outstanding at Williams, he's been outstanding when he's been in Bahrain.</p>.<p>"The decision is also considering other factors. Let's see."</p>