George Russell and Lewis Hamilton have become a subject of gossip ever since their little moment during the Japanese GP. We usually find George Russell very tamed and most certainly like a ‘goody two shoes’ during his races and strategies. However, a certain F1 driver seems to have pointed out this fact and he considers it a result of Lewis Hamilton’s superiority in the team.
That particular individual thinks that George Russell can’t fully unleash himself because of the way he has become a part of the team. Hamilton is undoubtedly still their first driver and Russell needs to go a long way before he can take over the role.
Hamilton’s seniority affects George Russell’s behavior on team radio
George Russell and Lewis Hamilton usually share a fond rivalry and friendship going through the years in what can be called, Mercedes’ most difficult time yet and they fight together for the positions, trying to earn the most out of any race giving the team valuable points.
Even after their banter, both teammates were really cordial and they seemed to have sorted out everything considering the fact that they want best results for the team.
Anthony Davidson, SKY F1 pundit and ex-F1 competitor, was talking about their radio tussle during a podcast with Matt Baker. He commented about the racers’ status in the team.
“They are behaving themselves but there’s definitely a hierarchy in the team and rightly so. Lewis, he’s earned that status in the team, you know he is a 7 time world champion and George can’t argue with that.”
“George is still the understudy and he’s doing a very good job on those occasions where he’s got the speed over Lewis, to the take the fight to him, but he’s doing it in a really George Russell polite way which is uh quite humorous to watch because I know inside the car he’ll be fuming.”
He commendably explained driver’s situation and showed us both perspectives which were a part of the race between Russell and Lewis.
How long has Russell been on Mercedes?
Russell has been a part of the team since 2022 season, where he was able to beat the season veteran Lewis Hamilton in a struggling W13. George took his first win of the career and Mercedes only win that season confirming his contract extension this year till 2025.
George Russell is inevitably the second driver in Mercedes AMG F1 team, but he knows how to take the fight to Lewis Hamilton and keep the excitement alive. This is a healthy start but, it can easily become worse when the situation is different and they are fighting for championships and not mere points.
Do you think that Mercedes will implement firm instructions for who will be the priority driver in the team or will see another Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg moment? Tell us your opinions about this in the comments.
