George Russell heaps praise on teammate Lewis Hamilton by insisting he has no intention of fighting the ‘greatest of all time’.
Russell joined Mercedes in 2022, where he replaced Valtteri Bottas. The latter had been in the team for five seasons during which he played a crucial role in guiding them to five Constructors’ Titles.
However, Bottas’ role in the team was mainly that of a second driver. While it wasn’t something anyone officially said, the Finn compromised his race several times for Hamilton, under ‘team orders’.
When Russell joined the outfit, many wondered if Hamilton would still be number 1. The young Brit is an up and coming star and is being billed as a future World Champion. Hamilton is still as good as he’s ever been, but the seven-time Champion is now 37-years old.
This has led to people speculating that Russell will take up the role of lead driver. As the former Williams repeatedly stated, he does not want to go up against Hamilton.
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George Russell focusing on his own race, not defeating Lewis Hamilton
Russell has enjoyed a decent start to life at Mercedes. The Silver Arrows aren’t as dominant as they’ve been in the last eight years, but Russell has maintained his consistency.
The 23-year old is second in the Championship standings behind leader Charles Leclerc. Hamilton meanwhile is in fifth, and is struggling to get up to speed in the W13.
“There’s no number one or number two at Mercedes,” said George Russell to Sky Sports. “I’m not going to go out there trying to be the leader when I’m going up against the greatest of all time”.
Then 🆚 Now#F1 pic.twitter.com/jlqVOjamux
— Team George Russell (@TeamGR63) March 31, 2022
Russell also stated that both him and Hamilton have nothing against each other, because they are in different stages of their career. He described his teammate as the ‘captain of the team’.
“Lewis has been here so long,” he added. “I’m the new kid at the team. I’m not going to go out there trying to be the leader of the team when I’m going up against the greatest of all time who’s been here for 10 years. He’s like the captain of the team and that’s how it should be.”
Also read: Former F1 World Champion claims Lewis Hamilton will be thinking about leaving Mercedes
