After Lewis Hamilton’s Contract Boost, George Russell Ordered to Be “Self Critical” to Recover Against Rampant F1 Legend

Remember how questions were raised in Lewis Hamilton’s direction when George Russell beat his 7X World Champion teammate in the Driver’s championship? It was only Russell’s first season with Mercedes, that too with the troublesome W13. Nonetheless, the rampant Lewis Hamilton silenced all the questions with his performance this year. Now with the new contract boost for Hamilton, George Russell was urged to be self-critical and make up ground on his teammate.

Earlier this week, Lawrence Barretto suggested that Lewis Hamilton and Toto Wolff have shaken hands on the important factors in the Briton’s contract including the duration and the financial side. The duration is believed to be 2 years with no update on the compensation as of now. With Hamilton staying at the Brackley stable for 2 more years, the underperforming George Russell was asked to pull up his pants.

George Russell has performed exceptionally during the 2023 season. However, there are just way too many instances and underperformances to suggest that Russell has had a good year. Lousy qualifying performance and unforced errors just add to the 49-point gap to Lewis Hamilton who’s finished ahead of Russell 9 times this season. Russell was asked to be self-critical and improve his performance.

According to F1Maximaal.com, a member of their editorial board said, “The summary [of George Russell’s first half of 2023] is quite gloomy, but Russell still remains a great talent and also has a pretty difficult teammate. However, he must not forget to be self-critical and he must look for the right balance between speed and risk. One podium finish for a team that is second is simply not enough.” [translated via Google]

Read More: “He Is Clearly the Boss”: Bouncing Back From Brutal Split, Lewis Hamilton Hailed to Restore Supremacy Against George Russell

Nevertheless, it isn’t all down to George Russell underperforming but also Lewis Hamilton who stepped up his game massively this season when compared to last. George Russell however saw this step up coming before the start of the season.

George Russell predicted Lewis Hamilton’s comeback

Even nemesis like Nico Rosberg has praised Hamilton for his capacity to take hits and then make a comeback. Every time Lewis Hamilton falls, he comes back with a bigger bang. Before the 2023 season started, George Russell while analyzing his performances from 2022 suggested that Hamilton never gives up and will be making a comeback this year. 

According to Outlook, George Russell said “Race pace is maybe something I want to improve slightly, and I probably improved that towards the end of the year compared to Lewis. But he’s just an animal and he keeps on fighting, he keeps on going, and he never gives up. So I think he’s going to come back fighting even more.”

What do you think of George Russell’s performances so far in 2023?

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