Lewis Hamilton faced stiff competition from newbie George Russell in the latter’s very first season with Mercedes. So much so that Russell was able to beat Hamilton at the end of the 2022 F1 season. Now, the veteran British driver has revealed as per M4 Sport that this has been stressful for him.
The former Williams driver started last year with nothing to lose, whereas the seven-time world champion had a lot on the line. Be it the chance to compete against Max Verstappen for the championship or beat his teammate in his own team.
However, with the young Russell coming up on top, there was a lot of recognition for him. On the other hand, question marks were raised on Hamilton‘s caliber, and now he decided to talk about it.
Lewis Hamilton opens up on the pressure from Russell
After Russell overpowered Hamilton and picked up the only win for Mercedes in 2022, many thought that Hamilton’s supremacy in the team had come to an end. However, as per the seven-time world champion, they did not notice the pressure-less situation for Russell back then.
As for Hamilton, on the one hand, he promised to hunt Verstappen down for the championship, and on the other hand, he had to keep his supremacy in the team. Therefore, Hamilton was in between two tough situations simultaneously.
Emphasizing this, the 38-year-old said, “If he finished behind me they said ‘Well you finished behind a seven-time world champion’ and if he finished ahead then ‘you are a legend'”.
Admittedly, Hamilton can very well understand Russell’s situation. This is because he was exactly in this situation when he joined McLaren in 2007 and competed against then-world champion Fernando Alonso.
Is Hamilton getting his mojo back at Mercedes?
After losing to his teammate last season, Lewis Hamilton seemed to have found his mojo back. At least in Mercedes. The 38-year-old currently leads his teammate coming into the 2023 season.
Hamilton is in P4 with 148 points in the driver’s championship, whereas George Russell is in P6 with 99 points. The veteran Briton has four podiums and one pole position to his name, compared to Russell’s only one.
However, it is not known what made the seven-time world champion get back his form in the team and be the best at Mercedes. However, the former McLaren driver is calmer about it. This is because Russell, who is just 25-year-old is regarded as the future of Mercedes.
