Lewis Hamilton is in his final few months as a Mercedes driver, and his stint with the Silver Arrows is not headed towards a peaceful ending. There are several reports of a rift between him and teammate George Russell, but the seven-time world champion urges his fans not to escalate the narrative out of hand.
With Hamilton leaving for Ferrari, Russell is Mercedes’ future star and number one driver. As such, there have been claims that the 26-year-old is being favored over Hamilton this season.
Hamilton’s comments, regarding how Mercedes prefers using his W15 for experimental setups, have added fuel to the fire. Still, the 39-year-old asks the F1 community to refrain from being negative on social media.
| Bono: “That’s P9, mate. It was a real tough day in the office there, mate but we’ll go and figure it out.”
| Lewis Hamilton: “Yep! I won’t make that set-up change again, Bono. That was my bad. Thank you guys, and good job on the pit stops.”
— deni (@fiagirly) April 21, 2024
“I wasn’t actually aware that George was experiencing negativity,” the 39-year-old said as per Motorsport. “George does nothing but his best every single weekend and he’s developing with the team. So, he can’t be faulted at all.
Hamilton takes a diplomatic approach while explaining the dynamics within the Brackley-based outfit. However, he expects better internal communication, which is likely lacking on his end because the team doesn’t want to spill secrets before he moves to rivals Ferrari.
Russell hasn’t been affected by the negativity, since he admitted that he doesn’t spend much time on social media. At the same time, he makes a similar statement to Hamilton’s.
George Russell wants to feel the support
Since joining Mercedes in 2022, Russell hasn’t had many on or off-track altercations with Hamilton. They have worked together during what has been a rather difficult time for the German stable. Yes, Russell outperformed Hamilton in 2022, and is doing the same this year as well, but that hasn’t led to any friction, at least publicly.
Russell, however, is aware of the online abuse that is being hurled towards him. “Like Lewis said, you want to feel the support, not giving out negativity to others,” he said in response.
George Russell responds to reports of online abuse aimed at him, and says: “Like Lewis said, you want to feel the support, not giving out negativity to others.”#F1 #GR63 #SpanishGPhttps://t.co/D7ZiWHUiPk
— Mercedes F1 News – SilverArrows.Net (@SilverArrowsNet) June 20, 2024
The #63 driver finished P3 in Canada, his best result of the 2024 season so far and Mercedes’ first podium. It takes his lead over Hamilton to 14 points in the Drivers’ standings, with the former in P7.
Hamilton doesn’t want any bad blood with Russell or Mercedes in his final days there. But what he does want, is a chance to win races donning their colors again, before he becomes a Ferrari driver.
