The increasing intra-team competition between Lewis Hamilton and George Russell has become a spectacle for the F1 fans to enjoy. However, it has become a major concern for the Silver Arrows as the team is starting to miss out on valuable points in an important phase of the season. Should Mercedes be able to produce a car worthy of a championship fight next season, F1: Chequered Flag’s Andrew Benson fears Toto Wolff might have to deal with an intense battle.
F1 is no stranger to teammates taking the fight to each other, especially if they have a car worthy of handing them the driver’s title. Senna VS Prost, Hamilton VS Rosberg, Mansell VS Piquet, and Vettel VS Webber- all these rivalries saw teammates going at it with each other every time they took to the tracks. The Qatar GP might have given us a glimpse of yet another teammate rivalry taking shape in the F1 realm.
Toto Wolff warned of tough times ahead
The 2023 season did not get off to a flier for George Russell, as Lewis Hamilton put in strong performances for Mercedes. However, the 25-year-old has been on the road to recovery following the summer break and seems to be at par with the performances of his teammate in each race. As such, the level of competition between the two has greatly increased, with there being hints of potential tension between them. Given the same, Andrew Benson, via Spotify’s F1: Chequered Flag Podcast, warned Toto Wolff of possibly having a tough job in 2024 in managing Hamilton and Russell.
“If they’re competitive next year, it could get really tasty. And I think Toto Wolff’s gonna have a problem on his hands if that happens.”
38-year-old Hamilton is already on the top of the F1 mound, having won a record seven driver’s world title. The Briton believes his teammate and compatriot is the next big thing in the sport. However, Hamilton rarely backs down against the 25-year-old and wants to take the fight to him every time they square off, but why is that?
Why does Lewis Hamilton challenge Russell so much during the races?
Back in 2021, when news broke of Russell teaming up with Hamilton for the upcoming season, the seven-time world champion was quite happy to welcome the young driver to his team. Hamilton spoke of the exciting talent on offer by Russell and called him the “future of the sport.” He was committed to helping Russell improve his abilities and become the best version of himself.
However, when the two drivers take to the tracks, it rarely seems like Hamilton is being a ‘mentor’ to the driver. A potential reason behind the push by the senior driver could be his hopes of achieving an eighth-world title. Much like Fernando Alonso, Hamilton hopes to race well beyond his 40s and stand a chance to register many more wins before calling his time in the sport.
