Who knew a 24-year-old racing driver would beat a 7-time World Champion? No, we aren’t speaking about Max Verstappen beating Lewis Hamilton. It is about George Russell outclassing Hamilton last year. Russell’s performance in 2022 came as much a surprise for fans as it did his compatriot in the other W13. But as the year has changed, so has the power dynamic among the drivers.
In 2022, Russell, with 275 points, finished 2 places ahead of Hamilton, with 240 points, in the drivers’ championship. It looked like the latter’s time dominating his teammate, let alone the sport, had come to an end. But the tables have turned in Hamilton’s favor again. Fast forward to the present, Hamilton sits in P4 in the driver’s championship with 148 points while Russell is in P6, with 99 points.
Not just that, the pressure seems to be getting to him with his much-older Mercedes teammate outperforming him consistently. “While he was often defeated by teammate George Russell last year, in 2023 he is clearly the boss of his younger teammate again,” said the editor of F1maximaal.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Adding to this loss of performance for Russell is the multiple mistakes that he has made this year. From crashing out because of his own mistake in Canada to getting eliminated in Q1 in Hungary, it’s all come crashing down for him. So much so that the Brackley outfit has been urged to kick him out.
Former F1 manager, Peter Windsor, urges Mercedes to sack George Russell immediately
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
In June, on his appearance in the Sky Sports lie detector YouTube video, George Russell had confidently said that he was quicker than Hamilton. But that hasn’t aged quite well. The pressure has clearly gotten to him and Peter Windsor reckons that if he was at Toto Wolff’s place, the 25-year-old racer would already be out of his team.
On his YouTube channel, Windsor said, “If I was now drafted in as team principal at Mercedes, I would say, ‘George, here’s the contract, it’s in two pieces now mate. If you want to keep driving no problem, sign on the dotted line here and you will never finish in front of Lewis Hamilton. Sorry’.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Watch This Story: Lewis Hamilton Treads Light: Reluctant to Spark Fierce Battle Amid George Russells Fierce Response
Well, it looks like Russell is in a slump. While a minor part of the blame goes to the inconsistent W14, the majority has to be shouldered by him. After the summer break, things can only get difficult with Hamilton looking to up the ante.