Mercedes Will See a Change in Tides as George Russell Continues to Challenge Lewis Hamilton, Reckons F1 Expert

Despite having a rough start to the 2023 F1 season, George Russell is making slow but effective progress. Even though he is behind Lewis Hamilton in terms of points, it is only a matter of time before Russell challenges Lewis Hamilton for the dominant place in the team and changes the tide, believes Natalie Pinkham, as per the F1 Nation podcast.

George Russell started his Mercedes career with a bang, having joined from Williams in 2022. In his very first season, he beat his veteran teammate Hamilton and picked up the only win for the team in Sao Paolo, which remains their only race victory since the 2021 season.

Even with a car that is difficult to drive, the 25-year-old driver showed that he is more than capable of finishing well into the points. As a result, it is evident that he is no longer a rookie, and is ready for the next big step- win a world championship ahead of Lewis Hamilton.

George Russell is looking to threaten Lewis Hamilton atMercedes

This season, Hamilton and Russell have had several tussles with each other because of their team’s strategy. They both want to be the number one driver of their team. They have engaged in several battles out on the track, looking to pass each other because they felt they were faster.

In fact, the way Russell is pushing his seven-time world champion teammate, it has become clear that he won’t accept a second fiddle role at Brackley, like his predecessor Valtteri Bottas did.

Talking about this, Natalie Pinkham shared, as per the F1 Nation podcast, “George is keen to prove himself and show that he too can be the leader of the team. There’s no doubt he can do that, but he’s not yet at Lewis’ level.”

Russell is world championship material, believes former F1 driver

According to former F1 driver Pedro De La Rosa, George Russell is world championship material. De la Rosa believes that under the right circumstances and when given a championship-worthy car, the Briton has the ability to convert it into a title win.

Emphasizing on this, De La Rosa added that he expected the 25-year-old to be good when he arrived from Williams to Mercedes. However, he did not expect him to be this good where he could come and challenge the dominant figure in the team right away.

Admittedly, the relationship between Lewis Hamilton and George Russell has been amicable so far. The duo has shown ample instances where they respected each other on and off the track without publicly dissing one another.