According to the latest reports from Motorsports Magazine, George Russell has made it clear that he does not aspire to be on equal footing with Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes. This unexpected statement comes following Russell’s relatively underwhelming season compared to Hamilton, who finished at P3 with 234 points.
In 2023, the Mercedes drivers formed one of the most evenly-matched teammate pairings on the grid, especially in qualifying. However, the divergence occurred on race days, where Russell struggled in comparison to Hamilton, encountering critical race-ending mistakes in events like Canada and Singapore.
During the Canadian Grand Prix, George Russell initiated from fourth place, trying to exert pressure on Fernando Alonso. However, an unforeseen mistake occurred as Russell ran wide over the kerbs, leading to a collision with the wall.
Similarly, at the Marina Bay Street Circuit in the 2023 Singapore Grand Prix, Russell’s shot at a podium and a victory faded on the final lap due to his crash into the wall. Ultimately, these unfortunate finishes led to George Russell accumulating a mere 175 points over the 22-race season, 100 less than his 2022 tally.
Considering that Russell openly acknowledged that the current season had been the most challenging for him psychologically. The Briton said, “Probably when I sit through my championship years, I probably wasn’t being pushed as much as I’m pushing myself now.”
Nevertheless, in his concluding statements, Russell highlights his dissatisfaction with merely being equal to Hamilton. The 25-year-old expresses a clear desire to consistently outperform the seven-time champion, as he successfully did in 2022. He said, “I’m purposely trying to push myself further and beyond, and I’m not satisfied with just being on par with my team-mate in qualifying or whatever it may be. I want to be ahead. And that’s what I’m pushing myself for.”
What does Nico Rosberg think of George Russell and Lewis Hamilton’s rivalry?
Throughout their concurrent seasons in Formula 1, Lewis Hamilton and George Russell showcased impressive competitiveness. Notably, following Russell’s outstanding performance in the previous season, Hamilton found himself once again grappling with early challenges at the commencement of the 2023 season.
Despite these initial hurdles, Hamilton adeptly adjusted to the demands of the formidable W14 in the initial races. Developing a newfound understanding of the intricate W14, the 38-year-old driver swiftly progressed, intensifying the rivalry with Russell.
This head-to-head competition reached pivotal junctures, particularly in Suzuka and Qatar, where Hamilton’s determined attempts to secure better positions resulted in collisions with Russell. Nevertheless following the incident in Qatar, Hamilton promptly issued a sincere apology, fully accepting responsibility for the collision.
However, amidst the unfolding drama, an intriguing twist emerged with the statement from one of Hamilton’s former adversaries. During a recent interview with Sky Sports F1, Nico Rosberg, who was once Hamilton’s teammate at Mercedes issued a warning to Russell.
In his his conversation the German advised Russell to continue applying pressure across all levels if he aims to overcome and outperform Hamilton. While wrapping up Rosberg said, “Unfortunately, you can’t just be the nice guy in that situation – you have to also internally keep the pressure on. So it’s very uncomfortable because George needs to be pushing – which he does on the radio, you hear him saying things like ‘again’ and things like that. So he’s really trying to hold against it.”
