Lewis Hamilton Chasing $50 Million Ferrari Fantasy Will Only Make George Russell the Ultimate Winner

In the past few weeks, rumors have suggested Lewis Hamilton will be making a move to Ferrari. The Italian team is interested in singing the 7x champion in a bid to win their first title in over 15 years. If the Briton departs for Maranello, it will leave a huge vacant seat within Mercedes. However, Mercedes’s driver development advisor Gwen Lagrue argues, as per Auto Hebdo, it will be the perfect opportunity for George Russell to prove his mantle.

Lagrue believes the 25-year-old driver will seamlessly transition into the team’s lead driver role. And with Hamilton gone, Russell can finally contend for the championship.

George Russell to benefit from Lewis Hamilton’s departure to Ferrari?

Gwen Largue believes Lewis Hamilton will remain a Mercedes driver. However, if the Briton decides to leave for Ferrari, Mercedes has the perfect replacement for the 7x world champion in George Russell.

Lagrue has seen Russell evolve from an academy prospect to a Grand Prix winner. He is confident that Russell can fill Hamilton’s shoes and transition into a championship-winning driver without his senior teammate.

“You only know that when you have the car to win, not before,” he told Auto Hebdo.“But what I have observed is that each time he has a window of opportunity, George has managed to do something transformative.”

Russell is capable of competing for wins if he has the right car. Largue stated, “If we can give him the car, he will do the right thing.” He also claims that in Russel, they have the perfect successor.

Russell proved his skillset, when he outperformed the experienced Hamilton in his debut season with Mercedes. The Briton finished 4th in the driver’s standings and secured Mercedes’s sole win of the 2022 season in Brazil.

F1 Pundit claims Lewis Hamilton won’t leave Mercedes

Lewis Hamilton has previously expressed his desire to retire from F1 with Mercedes. The driver has great relations with everyone within the team and has won 6 championships as a Mercedes driver.

Hence F1 pundit Ralf Schumacher believes the 7x world champion will stay put in Brackley. “I think it is very likely that Lewis will stay with Mercedes,” Schumacher told f1-insider.com.

The German believes the driver won’t turn his back on close friend Toto Wolff. He also claims Ferrari will not be interested in signing a 38-year-old racer struggling in the new generation of cars.

 

Lewis Hamilton to Ferrari – is there truth to the rumours? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/lULJzykB82

— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) May 24, 2023

Schumacher reasoned, “He’s not getting any younger and has a tough nut to crack in teammate George Russell. But I don’t think that’s why he’s giving up his Mercedes home and jeopardising his future cooperation with the group.”

However, the F1 pundit mentioned Hamilton’s closeness with Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur. Vasseur managed the Briton while he was karting. Hamilton even drove for the Frenchman’s team, ART Grand Prix, in the GP2 Series and GP3 Series.

The rumors will only end when either Ferrari makes an official announcement, or Hamilton signs an extension with Mercedes. The driver’s contract with the Silver Arrows expires at the end of the 2023 season.