George Russell vs. Lewis Hamilton: “I’ve held my own”
George Russell believes that he will one day challenge for Formula One crowns because of his record versus teammate Lewis Hamilton.
George Russell was a highly regarded young driver who gathered experience at Williams for a number of years. In the present, he and Lewis Hamilton are colleagues, and they are optimistic that Mercedes will be able to contend for the World Championship once more.
The 25-year-old won a race and finished on many podiums in his first season with Mercedes F1. Even though it was his first year with Mercedes, the Formula 2 Champion demonstrated a respectable level of consistency and speed.
For the British driver, however, the 2023 campaign was less successful. Russell’s teammate outperformed him, despite his two podium finishes still.
Behind an unstoppable RB19, Lewis Hamilton finished as “best of the rest” after accumulating much more points. George Russell experienced a harsh awakening in his second year at Brackley following an incredible rookie season with Mercedes F1.
That’s not to say that nobody, even Russell, had forgotten what a seven-time world champion was capable of.
Nevertheless, every high and low is assessed in a sport where the best teams are so closely watched. The former Williams driver wants to avoid making some of the costly mistakes in Canada and Singapore going forward.
“I have complete faith in myself. He stated earlier this year, “The team believes in me.”
And the main reason for that is because I’ve held my own while playing with Lewis as a teammate.
“I feel like I’m just getting started, truly… I believe that my performance is pretty good.
“I’m really pleased with how I performed, but I also understand that you need to maintain this level of performance and be prepared for when the car offers you that chance.”
One of Mercedes F1’s advantages is without a doubt their driver lineup. George Russell and Lewis Hamilton provide a unique blend of youth, experience, and speed.
Red Bull will be extremely dominant in 2023, thus both drivers will need to deliver their finest work for the German team.
Having said that, there have been glimpses over the past 12 months of the possible outcomes of a closely matched teammate coupling. For instance, Toto Wolff witnessed his drivers clash at the first turn in Qatar, costing him valuable points.
Mercedes had to deal with two drivers battling it out for the same lap in less dramatic accidents that happened in Brazil or Japan. Russell lamented the state of affairs over the team radio more times than he should have.
It will be interesting and enjoyable for both F1 press organizations and fans to watch this dynamic in 2024.
