Mika Hakkinen feels that Lewis Hamilton is in a tough position at Mercedes and will consider leaving the Silver Arrows soon.
Hamilton joined Mercedes in 2014, and has been almost unbeatable ever since. In all those years, he has won six World Titles and has lost only to Nico Rosberg in 2016 and Max Verstappen in 2021.
His supreme driving ability combined with the fact that Mercedes built the strongest car every single year, turned them into an invincible duo.
2022 however, has been a different story for the Silver Arrows altogether. They’re not the strongest car in the grid anymore in terms of performance, with the Ferraris and Red Bulls looking much faster.
On top of that, George Russell’s arrival has made Hamilton’s position in the team vulnerable. The 23-year old has always been tipped as a future World Champion, and it’s unlikely that he will accept being number 2 to Hamilton.
Former F1 Champion Mika Hakkinen feels that Russell’s ascension along with a weaker Mercedes car will lead to Hamilton thinking about leaving Mercedes altogether.
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Things aren’t going well at Mercedes for Lewis Hamilton
Hakkinen went on to say that Hamilton is used to winning at Mercedes. They are an outfit that have won eight consecutive World Titles. Struggling behind Ferrari and Red Bull on every single race day, won’t sit right with Hamilton.
In the Drivers’ standings, Hamilton is behind Russell. At the Australian GP, the latter earned a podium finish in P3 ahead of Hamilton in P4. Hakkinen feels that the former Williams driver finishing ahead of him is something that leads to tensions within the team.
“I’m sure Lewis is still annoyed by the situation,” he said. “It’s hard to be beaten by George. I’m afraid this will be a really difficult season for Lewis.”
“I wonder how Lewis behaves in the team meetings. I bet he’s sulking and can imagine it! Lots of complaining and whining. This starts the natural thought process of drivers, ‘Should I go somewhere else?’,” the Finn continued.
“It’s a fact. He’s been at Mercedes for years and won multiple championships. Now that things are not going well, he’ll start thinking of switching teams.”
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