Meanwhile Williams could probably do with Perez' money and talent so look out George....

Yeah George is definitely headed to Brackley and good for him. They're a good team, with or without Mercedes there.

Whatever happened with Ocon going there though? At one point he was considered their golden child.

There is a seat at Brackley with his name on it.

If Toto offers Hamilton any more than $20 million then he is a total mug. He can put anyone with a Superlicense in that car and the result won't change.

I saw the idea that Mercedes may have approached Williams and were rebuffed. I'm not sure about that. Three things crossed my mind:

1) Is Russell's contract worth so much that even Mercedes couldn't buy it out? Even when Mercedes supply Williams? Seems a bit of a stretch to me - I know it's a 3-year contract but he's a second-year driver who is still very much unproven

2) Why would Williams, who are skint, not accept an offer from Mercedes to buy his contract? Surely they're better off pocketing the cash and finding a decent Latifi-esque pay driver to fill the second seat

3) Russell is clearly talented and has a bright future if things work out in his favour, but does he represent enough of an improvement on Bottas, a proven race winner who has a chance of winning the championship this year if the cards fall his way, or Lewis, a six-time world champion and a marketing dream, to justify signing him? Knowing how risk-averse F1 teams are, it would be an odd decision

you are more than likely correct, but one advantage to having a genuinely good driver is that he can provide you with invaluable data to help the team improve the car - especially over mulitple seasons.