Mercedes, after a long time, remained non-competitive for the most part of the recently concluded Formula 1 season. When they showed pace towards the latter part of the year, Lewis Hamilton and George Russell prioritized the results for the team, avoiding any sort of conflict on the track. That differed vastly from the approach that was seen by Hamilton and his former teammate, Nico Rosberg. Russell now reveals the reason the camaraderie will continue next year, even if the team and the duo compete at the highest level.

2022 was a tough year for the Silver Arrows. Most teams struggled to adapt to the latest car regulations, and Mercedes were no exception. The car struggled with porpoising issues and the lack of pace in general. The final amendments made ahead of the US GP, however, saw them challenge for wins once again.

George Russell confident of continuing the “good relationship” with Lewis Hamilton

George Russell and Lewis Hamilton started the Mexican GP in P2 and P3, respectively. The duo raced against each other in the first lap, where Hamilton went wide to take the lead on his teammate. George, however, remained respectful of his teammate and did not race hard against him to win the place back. Speaking ahead of the next race in Brazil, he talked about the rapport he shares with Lewis and looks forward to continuing that next year.

Crash.net quoted him saying, “If we get to next year and we’ve got a car that’s capable of one-two finishes, we will have a huge amount of pride in thinking we have contributed together in helping the team achieve this. And then we go about our business.”

“But we’ve got no reason to have conflict. We have got a good relationship. We need to give each other respect, and I think we gave each other respect in Mexico, as an example.”

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That respect continued in Brazil where Mercedes registered their first win of the season with George. The win was a particularly sweet one for the Silver Arrows as Lewis secured a P2 finish.

George Russell opens up on what it was like racing against Lewis Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton kept gaining on his teammate during the final stages of the race at Interlagos. However, he never raced hard against Russell, keeping in mind the bigger picture for the team. Speaking post-race, George told how it was like racing against the 7-time world champion.

He said, “You know, when you look into the mirrors and you see Lewis Hamilton there, I just knew how fast he was and I was driving the race of my life. But I knew this was a victory to be taken and so happy to watch that line and so proud of the whole team and the work we’ve done this season.”

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Do you think the Brackley-based team will bounce back to challenge for titles in 2023? Will Russell and Hamilton show each other the respect the former claims they will if they challenge each other for wins?