Arsenal Fan TV expert Robbie Lyle has recently put down his opinion on Mercedes’ George Russell and Lewis Hamilton. Lyle believes the young Briton is likely to revolt against his older compatriot in the near future.
Talking to On Track GP, the AFTV expert emphasized how the role of the number two driver doesn’t really exist in Formula 1. Syncing with the host, Lyle agreed upon the fact that the number two driver is like a little brother.
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The famous expert then went on to give the example of Russell against Hamilton. He said that number two drivers like the former Williams driver start in the team as number two. But, afterward, they turn around and ask questions for supremacy.
Lyle also shared how the number two driver in McLaren [Alonso and Hamilton] started challenging the number one and therefore asked for the race wins themselves. Later on, the AFTV also went on to put forth the example of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez to put weight to his statement.
Russell and Hamilton’s situation at Mercedes
The Silver Arrows brought in the young British driver from Williams in 2022. He arrived at the team to replace Valtteri Bottas, who mostly played a second fiddle to the seven-time world champion.
Even though there were no clauses that made him the second driver at Brackley behind the 38-year-old, rumors said he was brought in to act as the perfect wingman for the Stevenage-born.
The best driver line-up in F1. 🙏 pic.twitter.com/lPy17pU3sa
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) April 11, 2023
No matter how it was played out, the points table at the end of the season had a different say. Russell managed to outperform Hamilton in 2022. While the 38-year-old stayed the entire last season winless, the 25-year-old picked up the only win for the team in Brazil.
Perez is doing the same to Verstappen, believes Lyle
Russell and Hamilton’s situation at Mercedes isn’t the only case of rebellion, according to Robbie Lyle. He also thinks Perez is in a similar situation against Verstappen at Red Bull.
Lyle said that the Mexican now got the car to win races, and he isn’t turning down any engine against the defending champion. The former Racing Point driver indeed won the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, leaving his teammate “angry” or unhappy.
However, both Mercedes and Red Bull have repeatedly confirmed that they do not follow any number one or number two system on the team. But the fans and critics aren’t ready to take it, especially someone like Robbie Lyle.
