George Russell has leapt into pole position to race for Williams in 2019.

Like Esteban Ocon, the 20-year-old Formula 2 championship leader is a leading member of Mercedes' driver development stable.

Missing piece of the puzzle

Brazil's Globo reports that the "only missing detail" in Russell's promotion to formula one is a signature on the page of a Williams contract.

READ: Kubica 'most likely' Stroll replacement - Williams

Another piece of the 2019 driver puzzle set to fall into place in the coming days involves Antonio Giovinazzi.

With his Ferrari backing, the Italian is said to have agreed a deal to replace Charles Leclerc at Sauber next year.

"I think you will see about the future of Giovinazzi in the next few weeks," said Ferrari boss Maurizio Arrivabene in Singapore.

'Kimi loves driving'

His teammate will be Kimi Raikkonen, whose decision to join Sauber after being dropped by Ferrari surprised many in the F1 paddock.

But the Finn's manager Steve Robertson told the C More broadcaster: "Kimi loves driving.

"He could have stopped, but he just loves driving at the top in F1.

Personally I knew that he would keep driving. I believed that if he did not stay at Ferrari, he would like to look at another option. And there are not many alternatives," Robertson added.

Raikkonen's manager says the 38-year-old should be proud that, including his former stint until 2009, he has been a Ferrari driver for eight years.

"He has been with F1's iconic team for eight years, which is incredible," he said. "Now he may decide to end his career at the team where he started it."

Robertson said it was Raikkonen himself who kicked off the negotiations with Sauber.

"Kimi met with them first and then handed it to me. They said they were interested, and Kimi said he was interested. It was the same as has been the case throughout his career," he revealed.

