Lewis Hamilton is one of the most popular figures in the sporting world and serves as a role model to many aspiring drivers across the globe. The seven-time World Champion offered his insights to the upcoming drivers of the Mercedes Junior Programme ahead of the W13 launch.

Fellow driver George Russell and Team Principal Toto Wolff joined him. They gave their thoughts on the Junior Programme, new regulations, and the challenges that lie ahead.

“It’s about believing in yourself,” says Hamilton

The Mercedes F1 Team started their Junior Programme in 2016. George Russell, joined the programme at the age of 17 and serves as an example to the up and coming drivers.

One of the junior drivers, Alex Powell, from the Caribbean islands, sought advice from Hamilton on how to motivate aspiring drivers.

Hamilton replied, “If you have a goal, if you have an ambition, it’s never losing sight of that and staying focused. Each and every single one of you has a unique ability and I can see already the drive in all of your eyes, which really connects us because we’ve all had that since very young.”

The British driver also suggested that focus and hard work are the recipe to achieve one’s dream. He also stated the importance of education in shaping up a person.

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Lewis Hamilton started his Formula One career at McLaren. During his younger days, he was a part of the joint McLaren and Mercedes junior program. He has since come a long way and is regarded as one of F1’s greatest.

Meanwhile, George Russell also shared his experience with the new drivers. He stated that there is always an added pressure to perform as a Mercedes driver. However, his advice was to not take in additional pressure and back one’s ability.

Toto Wolff chimes in on the Junior Programme

As Mercedes introduced seven new drivers to their Junior Programme, Toto Wolff welcomed them to the Silver Arrows family. He remains optimistic about the results this initiative will generate.

He said, “There are some familiar faces in the programme from previous years looking to build on their strong progress. And there are also several new members of the programme who have joined us this year. It will be great to see how they develop in their first season with us.”

Mercedes Junior Programme has yielded strong results before. And the Silver Arrows believe that there should be diversity in Formula One, and are working towards achieving it. These young drivers will look at Hamilton and Russell as inspirations and work to achieve their goals.

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