George Russell became Lewis Hamilton’s third teammate against whom the seven-time world champion got defeated in the championship. Apart from Jenson Button, Nico Rosberg and now Russell, no other F1 driver managed to bead Hamilton head-to-head in the same car.
It’s also impressive by Russell, as it was his first season in Mercedes, and only he managed to outscore the Briton. Also, Russell is the only non-championship-winning driver to beat his teammate in the same car.
The 24-year-old finished the season at P4 in the standings, a total 35-point lead over his teammate, who could only secure 240 points and finished P6 in the table.
Lewis Hamilton below George Russell is irrelevant
Russell was surely consistent over the season. However, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff claims that Russell finishing above Hamilton doesn’t imply anything, as he claims they weren’t competing.
“Irrelevant. They weren’t competing for a championship. They did not run for victories beyond Brazil. Last year was worse. Last year it was stolen from us. This year, we lost on merit. We weren’t good enough,” Wolff said on Russell finishing above Hamilton.
Apart from Hamilton finishing below Russell, the Briton also failed to win a race this season. For the first time in his 15-year-long career, Hamilton is going without a winning success. His teammate managed to clinch his first F1 victory during the Brazilian GP.
Is next year Mercedes’s year?
In the last phase of the season, Mercedes showed enough improvement to at least win a race in 2022. That’s what the Silver Arrows were aiming for once they realized they didn’t have a good enough car.
But a win was crucial for boosting their morale. From hereon. the Brackley-based team will only push to grow and wish to be a contender for the 2023 title.
The two Mercedes drivers were already there for the team tests on Tuesday, less than 48 hours after the season’s last race, so it shows how determined the eight-time world champions are to get back to the top.
And if that happens, then the cracks between Hamilton and Russell could appear. Moreover, who finishes above will also be a huge declaration amidst the intra-team competition.
Also read: F1 drivers made 30% more overtakes in 2022 season compared to 2021 campaign
