“I Can Only Smile About It”- Problems Between Lewis Hamilton and George Russell Brought to Light by Toto Wolff

George Russell joined Mercedes in 2022, and the Briton, always considered a talented star, finally started delivering with a strong team. His teammate was seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, a driver who is widely regarded as the greatest of all time. However, an unfazed Russell kept his head down and pushed Hamilton right to the limit.

Russell finished ahead of Hamilton in his first year at Mercedes. Russell also managed to get a race win in a car that was comprehensively slower than Red Bull and Ferrari for most of the year. Hamilton, however, couldn’t stand on the podium’s top step for the first time ever in a season.

Until next week, W14. 🫡 pic.twitter.com/xg5UbauRdf

— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) May 19, 2023

Due to Russell’s statistical advantage over Hamilton during their time together as teammates, reports pointed to tensions between the two drivers. However, Mercedes team principal and CEO Toto Wolff dismissed these rumors as nothing but fake news created by the media.

Nothing wrong between George Russell and Lewis Hamilton

As reported by SilverArrows.net, Wolff insists that there is no tension between Russell and Hamilton. According to the Austrian, both drivers are committed to helping Mercedes reach the top of F1 once again and are working together to ensure that becomes a reality in the near future.

Wolff also goes on to say that he “smiles” when someone talks about tensions between his star drivers. Russell’s brilliant debut season and strong performances are the reason why Wolff and Mercedes wanted him in Brackley in the first place. Wolff said,

“I don’t notice anything about it on the team. These are background noises played through the press. “Lewis and George push each other.”

This year, Hamilton has been better than Russell on paper, with the 38-year-old ahead in the standings. Hamilton is P4 in the standings with 56 points to his name. The Stevenage-born driver also got a podium finish to his name this year, something Russell, who is in P6, didn’t.

Mercedes eyeing Monaco GP as their comeback race

Mercedes was supposed to bring in strong upgrades that would bolster their performance in Imola. However, due to the unfortunate weather conditions in the Emilia-Romagna region over the last week, F1 cancelled the race.

All the teams have left the track in Imola, and are now headed to the iconic Monaco circuit. One of the most recognizable racing venues in the world, qualifying is going to be key in Monaco for all teams. This is because of the lack of overtaking opportunities in the narrow streets of Monte Carlo.

Until next week, W14. 🫡 pic.twitter.com/xg5UbauRdf

— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) May 19, 2023

Mercedes, and other teams will be hoping to close the gap to Red Bull in the coming race. After Monaco, we head to the Circuit de Catalunya-Barcelona for the Spanish GP in just a week’s time.