Mercedes F1’s chief technical director James Allison has rubbished rumors suggesting that his side have deliberately been sabotaging Lewis Hamilton’s last year with the team before the British driver moves to Ferrari next year. Since Hamilton made some startling claims after the Monaco GP about not expecting himself to outqualify George Russell for the entirety of the 2024 campaign, several fans suggested that Mercedes are favoring the 26-year-old.
“If you try to read into stuff that isn’t there like somehow he’s got a systematic disadvantage on qualifying day, that’s not true and not fair”, said Allison after Tom Clarkson asked him about Hamilton’s comments at the Monaco GP. Russell has so far out-qualified Hamilton 8-1 this season.
The seven-time champion has had the pace in the car during the practice sessions but seems to lose the edge during qualifying. Even during the Canadian GP, Hamilton complained about having tires that were a few degrees off the optimal temperatures. Regardless, he wrote it off as a probable tire blanket issue.
Although such differences in performance between Russell and Hamilton have resulted in such rumors rising, Allison is firm on defending Mercedes as he confirmed that no preference is being given to the 26-year-old and that both the cars are on an equal level. Alisson added,
“The cars are, so far as we can make it, identical. If the cars are different on setup, it is because that’s what the driver engineering team on either side of the garage has iterated. They have the chance to have identical stuff if they choose.”
Despite the clarification from Allison, such speculations are likely to continue from fans if Hamilton’s abysmal record in qualifying against Russell continues for the rest of the season. Although Allison is adamant that Mercedes are not giving any preference to Russell, there are some logical reasons that suggest otherwise.
Mercedes have good reason to give preference to George Russell over Lewis Hamilton
Since Hamilton is moving to Ferrari, it makes sense for Mercedes to shift their full focus to Russell. It is perhaps the same reason why Russell received the updated front wing first at the Monaco GP.
Mercedes only had one of them available, and Russell’s car was chosen to run with it. When asked about it, it was explained that the team had a discussion and Hamilton himself asked for it to be fitted on Russell’s car. Yet, after the Monaco GP qualifying, Hamilton had nothing but fiery things to say.
Another reason why Mercedes could be unintentionally favoring Russell is because they would most likely be developing the car depending on his feedback since it is he who will remain with the team after this season. Therefore, since the 2025 car is likely to be an evolution of the 2024 car, it is only natural for Mercedes to concentrate more on Russell’s feedback.
