Jacques Villeneuve posts that George Russell delivered a resounding “wake-up call” to Lewis Hamilton, disrupting a prolonged period of ease alongside Valtteri Bottas. Villeneuve further suggests that Russell’s presence has to do with Hamilton chasing a feeling of youth at Ferrari.
Entering his third season as a teammate with Russell, Hamilton navigates a new dynamic following Bottas’ departure from Mercedes in 2022. During their tenure, Mercedes dominated the F1 scene; however, despite Bottas’ consistent support, Hamilton reigned supreme with four Drivers’ titles after 2016, leaving his teammate unable to mount a serious championship challenge.
Russell’s arrival coincided with the onset of F1’s ground effect era, and Mercedes’ decline from the summit. Russell made a mark in his first year in Silver and Hamilton staged a comeback in 2023, but now Russell has emerged as the stronger Mercedes driver at the onset of the 2024 season.
In an exclusive conversation with GPFans, Jacques Villeneuve characterizes Russell’s presence in the team as a much-needed “wake-up call” for Hamilton, who recently announced his move to Ferrari. “It’s hard for a driver when you’ve spent years winning, and some years easy winning, especially when you had Bottas as a team-mate. He was alone in the championship, basically. He didn’t even need to be at his best to win like he had to do in his first championship.”
Villeneuve continued, “Now, going to Ferrari might be like that little shock that you get… to give him that ‘youth’ attitude.”
Is Lewis Hamilton chasing the fountain of youth at Ferrari?
Looking at Villenueve’s statement from a different perspective, Hamilton did say racing in Red was a childhood dream. His aspiration to drive for Ferrari traces back to his formative years, when he immersed himself in the F1 video games, emulating the legendary Michael Schumacher.
In a reflective Instagram post earlier last month, Hamilton confessed to harboring a childhood dream, a sentiment he expanded on by saying, “I think probably all of us sit in our garage and see the screen pop up, and you see the driver in the red cockpit, and you wonder what it might be like to be surrounded by the red.” Whether it’s youth or not, Hamilton is going back to playing his F1 game, this time for real.
With Ferrari’s last drivers’ championship secured by Kimi Raikkonen in 2007, and its zenith of success intertwined with the Michael Schumacher era, the Scuderia’s recent endeavors have been characterized by a struggle to reclaim former glory.
And Lewis Hamilton brings that to the table. Having tasted success with Mercedes and reaching the peak, it’s time to chase new heights. Whether that means a championship in the future or not, Hamilton has taken on a new challenge that could possibly take Ferrari where they want to be.
Further, the 39-year-old has proved that age is no measure in the world of F1. There is no timer on his career, not for Hamilton, who is far from finished with rocking the world he created.
