George Russell is all set to have a new teammate at Mercedes after Lewis Hamilton will leave for Ferrari in 2025. This will make him the undisputed number one at the Silver Arrows and he does not expect anyone to challenge him as much as Hamilton did. With this, he puts his future teammate and Mercedes as a whole, under huge pressure.
Russell arrived at the team in 2022 and had to settle as the number two driver, at least initially. Very soon, he rose up to the challenge of having a seven-time world champion as teammate, finishing ahead of him in the standings in 2022. Speaking about this, Russell said as per deni on X, “I don’t really mind who’s lining up next to me [in 2025]. When you’ve had Lewis Hamilton as your teammate for three years, it’s difficult to live up to that.”
From the very get go, Russell made it clear that he didn’t want to play second fiddle to Hamilton. He even beat his veteran teammate, but staying out of his shadow wasn’t possible for too long. In 2023, Hamilton fought back hard, finishing P3 in the standings, 5 places ahead of Russell.
2024 will see Hamilton and Russell battle it out one last time. The odds and stats will always favor Hamilton, but it is last year in the team. How much will Mercedes favor him over Russell- the man who is poised to lead them into the new era? Many feel that Hamilton will be alienated by the team, to avoid secrets traveling to Maranello with him in 2025.
Who can challenge George Russell?
With Lewis Hamilton leaving Mercedes next year, multiple names have been poised to join Russell at the team. The likes of Fernando Alonso, Carlos Sainz and even Mick Schumacher are linked to the empty seat. But who will get the nod and fare best against Russell?
If Alonso decides to join the Silver Arrows, chances are higher that Mercedes would prefer Russell. Firstly because the Briton is a future prospect for the team whereas Alonso will be 43 years old. Secondly, Russell is familiar with the environment. He will know more about how they function, both on the track, and off it.
Schumacher’s appointment shouldn’t be as challenging for Russell to deal with. His two years with Haas were rather underwhelming, but under Toto Wolff’s guidance and help from the team, he could rediscover the form that made him an F2 champion in 2020.
A driver who can shake things up is Carlos Sainz, who spent the last three seasons with Ferrari. He also drove for Renault, McLaren and Toro Rosso in the past. At Ferrari, even though Charles Leclerc is widely regarded as the better driver, Sainz has given the Monegasque a run for his money. The Spaniard could be driver who “lives up to” Russell’s expectations.
