Formula 2 championship leader and Mercedes junior George Russell will make his Formula 1 debut with Williams in 2019 after having signed a “multi-year deal” with the team.
Joining the Mercedes junior programme ahead of the 2017 season, Russell won the GP3 championship on his first attempt last season.
With one round of the F2 championship remaining in 2018, he leads the drivers’ championship by 37 points from fellow 2019 F1 rookie Lando Norris and is poised to claim the title.
Russell will remain part of the Mercedes junior programme while at Williams.
“It is a huge honour to join a team of Williams’ prestige and heritage,” said Russell. “Formula 1 has been a life-long dream.
“From watching the races when I was a child, it feels surreal that I will now be lining up on the grid, alongside drivers whom I have admired for years.
“I would like to thank Claire [Williams] and everyone at Williams for their faith in making this decision, as well as Toto and the team at Mercedes for their fantastic support throughout GP3 and Formula 2.”
His team-mate for next season is yet to be announced but incumbent Sergey Sirotkin is the favourite to be retained by the team, with Lance Stroll believed to be set for a move to Force India which is now co-owned by his father Lawrence.
Williams currently sits bottom of the constructors’ championship with seven points having endured a difficult 2018.
“We have always tried to promote and develop young talent at Williams, and George fits that ethos perfectly,” said the team’s deputy team principal Claire Williams.
“He is already highly regarded in the paddock and a driver whose career we have been watching for a while.
“In the time we have spent with him so far, we believe that he will be a great fit for our team; his commitment, passion and dedication is exactly what we need to drive the positive momentum building at Grove as we focus on the future.”
Russell’s F1 experience to date has been two FP1 practice session with Force India at the end of last season, alongside four test appearances for Mercedes. The 20-year-old has prioritised his F2 title tilt over further FP1 outings this year.
Despite two successful seasons in F1, fellow Mercedes junior Esteban Ocon is now even less likely to secure a full-time drive in 2019, with a Williams seat regarded to have been his last hope.
