Frustrated Lewis Hamilton Warned of “Mighty Tight Tussle” With George Russell as Lights Go Out Soon For 2023 F1 Season

Lewis Hamilton has not been beaten by a teammate very often. He has experienced the same only three times in his 16-year-long career. Hence, beating the champion in the same machinery is a career highlight few have seen. Although George Russell finished ahead of Hamilton in 2022 standings, the season was not about beating each other but beating the adversities. Now, a former F1 race winner and a fellow Brit thinks there might be a repeat of Hamilton-Nico tussle, with Russell giving a close fight to Hamilton.

The Mercedes duo worked together to bring the glory back to Brackley. Hamilton tried a lot of setups to reduce the porpoising of the W13. This saw him struggle at the far end of the midfield. However, the trial and error worked out more in favor of Russell than Lewis, as the former took the only pole and win for Mercedes in the season. Johnny Herbert feels that Russell may be a good catalyst to push Hamilton to bring back his dominance.

In an interview with Total-Motorsport.com, Johnny Herbert stated, “It can be a very positive thing for a driver to know your teammate is going to be strong, to be pushed. You know you need to up your game straightaway. Lewis has done that in the past, but he’s coming to the end of his career… When you have a young whippersnapper coming in, who’s hungry for that success, there is going to be a crossover at some point.”

Still unsure if Lewis will pass the baton to Russell this year, he said, “Will that be this year? I would be surprised.” One thing he is certain of is that both the drivers will be giving their best. “But I think it’s gonna be a mighty, tight tussle with George very hungry to try and take the reins away from Lewis, who won’t give up very easily as well. That’s what we want.”

Can Lewis Hamilton have a go at another title?

The 58-year-old feels the upcoming season will see the Lewis that the world has known to dominate, but Herbert doesn’t discount Russell’s capabilities either.

Herbert stated that the 7x champion is not done yet. He said, “I think Lewis started last year probably a little bit frustrated, knowing the car wasn’t great. I don’t think he had the right mental approach because he was probably frustrated, as a racing driver would be as a seven-time world champion, trying to get eighth, which was taken away from him.”

He further adds, “But now that opportunity has reset to get himself mentally and physically prepared [for this season]. It’s a good thing, maybe for Lewis, knowing that the pressure is going to be really hot from George.”

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With the upcoming season around the corner, do you think either of the Mercedes duo can clench the championship? If yes, then who will it be?