George Russell has been backed to hit the ground running at Mercedes and maybe even challenge new team-mate Lewis Hamilton for race wins.
That is the opinion of Anthony Davidson, Mercedes' simulator driver and a pundit for Sky Sport's F1 coverage.
Davidson, who had a brief spell as a regular racer in the sport with Super Aguri, believes the young Brit has the skillset and the attitude required to compete with the best now he set to be in a more powerful car.
"It's great to see, [Russell is] so full of energy and this is his big moment, isn't it?" he said during an appearance of a special edition of Sky Sports' F1 Show .
"His chance to step into, hopefully for his sake, a car that can run right at the sharp end and with Lewis Hamilton as your yard stick, the best in the business to measure yourself against.
"There's nothing more that a driver like George wants than to go head to head with Lewis with the same equipment, and this is the time you can really see if you're good enough."
Considering Hamilton's status in the sport, it is expected Russell will initially act as his understudy, learning from the vastly more experienced racer as he goes along.
Mercedes had strongly argued that there was never a 'number two driver' when Hamilton was partnered with Valtteri Bottas, though, so it will be interesting to see what the power dynamic is like between the new team-mates when the racing action begins in March.
Pundits appear to be split on what Russell's tactics should be for his first season with the Silver Arrows.
Damon Hill has warned the Brit against going out all guns blazing in his debut year, instead advising him to use it as a learning opportunity.
"It's down to George and how he approaches it, I think. You can go into these situations and think: 'Right, that's the enemy over there and I'm out to knock spots off them'," he told Express Sport .
"That might not be the wisest thing to do with Lewis, I don't think."
But fellow Sky Sports pundit Ted Kravitz appears to disagree, and believes the title has to be Russell's aim if the Mercedes car remains competitive in 2022.
"Russell has to be going for the championship, doesn't he? If you're in a Mercedes, you have to be going for the world championship," the pit lane reporter said.
