Geroge Russell says Lewis Hamilton is ‘hungry’ for success in the 2022 F1 season and does not see him slowing down anytime soon.
Lewis Hamilton has always been a winner in F1. He is a regular on the podium and has achieved 103 race wins, 188 podiums and 7-World Championship titles during his time at F1.
But the former World Champion endured a rocky start to the 2022 campaign. Mercedes were severely lacking pace and were troubled by proposing at the start of the season. And after the first set of races, it was evident that the W13 is not a race-winning car.
Surprisingly, his rookie teammate George Russell has had a miraculous first half of the f1 season. George sees himself on 4th position in the driver’s standings, 27 points ahead of Hamilton.
Hamilton had to witness his 2021 title rival Max Verstappen lap him in Imola. George has consistently finished in the top 5, in every race barring the 2022 British GP.
However, there are signs that Hamilton has found his mojo. He has secured 5 consecutive podiums ahead of F1’s return at Spa for the Belgian GP. Russell reckons Hamilton is more ‘hungry’ than ever.
Russell said, “Certainly, my results have improved while his have gotten worse. But Lewis is hungry. This challenge motivates him even more.” He also adds that Hamilton has a lot of racing still left in him.
He adds, “He will be there for many years to come. I don’t see him slowing down. The energy, the fire that blazes within him is extraordinary. That pulls me along.”
Can Lewis Hamilton win a race in 2022
Lewis Hamilton has won a race in each of the F1 seasons he has competed. But his 15-year-long streak seems to be in danger as he is yet to claim the top spot of the podium.
The season has been dominated by Ferrari and Red Bull. But towards the end of the first half of the season, Mercedes caught up with their competitors.
Mercedes are 3rd on the constructor’s table ahead of the 2022 Belgian GP and trails Ferrari by mere 30 points. But the W13 is far from a race-winning car.
George Russell claims his team have done maximum progress. The hard work paid its dividends during the British, French and Hungarian GP as the silver arrows came close to the top 2.
He said, “I think we’ll get our chance. Max may have been cruising around Paul Ricard. But we were only ten and 13 seconds behind him respectively. That’s not really much. It was the first time we beat a Ferrari and Red Bull because we were faster.”
But the Briton claimed that he and Lewis have already accepted that the car is a lot slower. And Hamilton will have to hunt for the odd opportunities in order to claim his 104th win.
Also Read: Former Ferrari driver believes 103 GP winner Lewis Hamilton won’t return to winning streak
