George Russell has been racing Lewis Hamilton wheel-to-wheel for two full seasons now. While his 2023 season was under par, Russell has shown equivalent pace as the seven-time champion more often than not. This tussle could become a matter of concern for Mercedes if they fight for the title in the future. The Brackley team already got a taste of what could happen between the British duo at the 2023 Qatar GP. This is something Lando Norris predicted way back in 2021.
In his book Lando Norris: A Biography by Ben Hunt, Norris praised Russell as his friend while highlighting the potential of him giving a hard time to Hamilton. He stated, “I rate George a lot. he is one of the best – and I think he will give Hamilton a hard time. It is too – early to tell if he is as good as Lewis.”
The McLaren driver mentioned this ahead of the 2021 French Grand Prix. Back then the #63 driver was still driving for Williams. However, since he debuted at the Silver Arrows, Russell has shown his prowess and proved Norris’ prediction right.
Lando Norris predicted the rivalry between George Russell and Lewis Hamilton
Credits: Lando Norris: A Biography by Ben Hunt. pic.twitter.com/D60RObGj8e
— TheF1Guy (@Sabyasaachii) January 7, 2024
He outscored Hamilton in his first season by 35 points in the championship, which was only the third time in 16 years that the 39-year-old lost to a teammate. In fact, the 25-year-old is the only Mercedes driver to win a race in the past two seasons.
His victory in Brazil toward the end of 2022 was a top-notch performance to establish himself in equal standing to Hamilton. Meanwhile, the 39-year-old has done well to turn the tables in 2023, comfortably outscoring his younger teammate. Still, his long win drought continues since his last victory came all the way back in Saudi Arabia in 2021.
Off the track, Russell and Hamilton always showcase cordial relations and good team spirit. But the way the duo collided in Qatar, and their strategic tussle in Japan hints at some tension while competing.
George Russell is statistically the toughest teammate Lewis Hamilton had
While Lewis Hamilton has had some champion teammates who had amazing capabilities, George Russell is his toughest teammate, as data suggests. The Race analyzed all of the seven-time champion’s teammates since his debut and the 25-year-old edged out everyone else.
As per The Race, Russell was “extremely close to Hamilton consistently”. They cited that the former Williams driver was 0.021% faster than the 39-year-old in qualifying. Given Hamilton is one of the best qualifiers in the sport, it is quite a feat to match and edge him out.
Russell has his reputation as ‘Mr. Saturday’ too, so he may not have a century of poles like his champion teammate, but he has similar pace. Besides this, the #63 driver is also only the third driver to beat Hamilton in the championship. Russell joins Jenson Button and Nico Rosberg in this list, who beat the Mercedes maestro in 2011 and 2016 respectively.
Here’s how the Mercedes men compare in 2023 ⚔️#F1 @MercedesAMGF1 pic.twitter.com/Q4CJCnZED2
— Formula 1 (@F1) December 24, 2023
Another champion teammate Lewis had was Fernando Alonso, who finished level on points with the Briton in 2007. So, Russell has bettered his veteran mate from Aston Martin against Hamilton.
Hence, Russell never joined Mercedes with the intention of being the wingman to the seven-time champion. Even Toto Wolff doesn’t expect that of the British prodigy. The Austrian boss instead wants two top drivers at Mercedes.
While both Russell and Hamilton have contracts till the end of 2025, the former is the future of the Silver Arrows. With Hamilton turning 39, he certainly will reach his bidding adieu moment from F1 sooner or later. Thus, Russell will gear up to take the mantle as the lead driver for Mercedes.
