“That’s the enemy over there” – Two former British world champs have word-of-advice for George Russell to ‘tackle’ Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton
“That’s the enemy over there” – Damon Hill and Jenson Button are hoping British compatriots George Russell and Lewis Hamilton get along well in their first season together as Mercedes teammates.
Mercedes next season will see George Russell take Valtteri Bottas’ seat, the former rewarded for his strong performances with Williams.
George Russell • Mercedes • England • FanCam • Formula 1 pic.twitter.com/IAFqJb5W58
— 📁 (@comps_rb) December 21, 2021
Russell, unlike Bottas, is expected to be aggressive when it comes to vying for the title himself, but given Lewis Hamilton lost out on a record eighth world title to Max Verstappen, fellow British champion Damon Hill wants Russell to take a back seat and perform a similar role like Bottas did all these years.
“I think it will be great to watch. I’m sure Lewis will be wanting to encourage George. I don’t see it going wrong.
“I think Lewis recognises his timespan is shorter in the sport than George’s, so he will want to play his part in giving him a leg-up – not that he needs one, probably.
“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’.
“That might not be the wisest thing to do with Lewis, I don’t think.
“That’s something to really look forward to next year. I’ll be as excited as anyone to see what will happen.”
Jenson Button agrees with Damon Hill
“He’s [Russell] got to not put pressure on himself. He can’t think ‘I’ll get in the car and be quicker than Lewis on day one’.
“He’s got to build up to it, otherwise he will shoot himself in the foot. You can’t be too confident alongside Lewis.”
Read More George Russell in Mercedes in 2022 does not scare Lewis Hamilton amidst retirement decision
About the author
-
Mahim Suhalka •
Lando Norris Didn’t Snub the Possibility of Tense Relations With Oscar Piastri Provided McLaren Achieves Supremacy
-
Somin Bhattacharjee •
“It had nothing to do with the performance of our car”: Lando Norris on why McLaren fell off in the latter half of the 2021 F1 season
-
Somin Bhattacharjee •
“Spirit at Williams was immense but Mercedes is like a well oiled machine”- George Russell reveals difference in environment between his former team and Silver Arrows
-
Tejas Venkatesh •
“The kid, the man, the legend!”: Watch young Lewis Hamilton pull of a Double overtake from his karting days
-
Vidit Dhawan •
Fernando Alonso Was Always Worried About Lewis Hamilton; Claims Ex-Ferrari Employee
-
Somin Bhattacharjee •
“We wouldn’t have gotten away with the fine Mercedes got”: Haas boss Guenther Steiner questions FIA’s ‘lenient decision making’ towards Lewis Hamilton