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via Imago

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Formula 1 is all about winning, that’s true. However, this sport is a complex web of politics and image more than anything else. Seasoned veterans like Lewis Hamilton have understood the game and hence he stands tall in the paddock with 7 championships to his name and a solid legacy. On the flip side, however, his teammate, George Russell probably needs to take a few notes from the 38-year-old when he’s not busy offending the LH Army with his antics.

While the Singapore GP was a personal disgrace for Russell, he would’ve hoped for a less eventful Japanese GP, to say the least. But his mid-race bust-up with Hamilton and the subsequent radio rants have left fans really irked with the 25-year-old King’s Lynn native.

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The Red Flags Podcast tore into Russell as they said, George Russell should be ashamed of himself. He is absolutely delusional. He was acting all f***ing stroppy and arrogant and giving sass and attitude. He’s acting like he didn’t completely sh*t his pants last week in Singapore.”

“Now he’s like, ‘Are we doing what’s best for the team?’ ‘Who are we racing?’ He started it, he’s the one who f***ing attacked Lewis, and then Lewis starts fighting back and he’s like ‘Why are we fighting, we’re on the same team’.” This was enough to sway public opinion against the young Brit.

“I miss Bottas” – Fans turn their backs on George Russell after his Japanese GP antics against Lewis Hamilton

Naturally, Russell is brimming with confidence and he wants to make the team his own. But there is always a time and a place. While Russell is lacking the subtlety he needs going up against a champion of Lewis Hamilton’s stature, fans on Twitter have already started writing him off.

One fan even commented, “I miss Bottas every Sunday,” while responding to the Podcast clip.

Let’s take a look at just a few of the fan reactions from this George Russell gaffe.

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Few would have liked Russell’s persistent criticism & hyped complaints on the radio. Certainly no Hamilton fan.

This is an ironic reaction using Russell’s classic “Facts” catchphrase. Whether these are true facts about him will depend on how George improves in the near future.

Safe to say, the LH Army hasn’t taken to Russell’s tactics at the 2023 Japanese GP too kindly. For them, Russell has been showing too much entitlement given his propensity for making mistakes that jeopardize the team and Hamilton from time to time.

George has had multiple collisions & crashes in his career to date. While most of them go under the radar, those may be now coming back to spoil his reputation.

Naturally, fans will compare Hamilton’s former teammate Valtteri Bottas with Russell’s demeanor. After all, Bottas was one of the best teammates Lewis ever had.

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Often Russell appears to be quite flustered. The Singapore GP also got the better of his impatience perhaps. Thus, he needs to relax a bit as this fan suggested.

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Does George Russell need to learn a thing or two about humility, or is his attitude worthy of a future F1 world champion?

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