Multi-Champion Lewis Hamilton Not the Benchmark for ‘Success’ for F1 Teammate George Russell: “I’ve Finished Ahead of Him More Times…”

Formula 1 returns to Silverstone, which hosts the British GP for the 2022 season. A return to the United Kingdom means huge cheers for the Mercedes boys, as it’s the home race for Lewis Hamilton and George Russell. At the start of the new era for Formula 1 this season, the German manufacturer signed George Russell from Williams. The young British driver is an exceptional talent. So, naturally, all eyes were on him to see if he could match the pace of the seven-time world champion.

The W13 has failed to live up to the standards of success that the team has achieved in the past. The car has numerous shortcomings and has been a thorn in the side of the 8-time constructor champions. The experienced Brit, Lewis Hamilton has really struggled to get on top of the modern F1 machinery. He has been unable to match the pace of the leaders and is far from being in contention for the title this season.

On the other hand, George Russell has been really opportunistic. He has managed to finish each race inside the top 5 this season. This has translated into P4 on the drivers standing for him and 34 points ahead of Lewis.

In a recent interview, Russell opined on his battle with his teammate. He said “Obviously, I want to beat my teammate and I’m not going to take offence if he says the same” 

“But I would not see my season as a success purely because I’ve finished ahead of him more times than he had finished ahead of me. I would see it as a success if I was standing at the top step of the podium.”

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The struggles in the Mercedes camp have been the highlight of their season, despite a few podium finishes. George and Lewis realize that the task at hand is to help the team improve the car and bounce back in the season.

Lewis Hamilton and George Russell: The British Face-Off at Mercedes

The pinnacle of motorsport is a cut-throat competition in which the top 20 drivers of the world go up against one and another. Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher share the record for most F1 championships with 7 titles each. Statistically, that makes them the benchmark for each driver competing.

Russell, being a local Brit, admitted that he grew up admiring Hamilton. However, the dog-eat-dog nature of F1 makes it difficult to execute personal relations. He commented, “I guess if you took an average look across F1 teammates, that is probably the case,”

“There are a lot of people who get along in this paddock but overall, we are all fierce rivals. We are all here to be competitive and to try and win. You are in a battle.” 

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George made his move from Williams to a top F1 team in the hope of competing for the wins at each race weekend. The drawbacks faced by the team based out of Brackley have put a hold on his aspirations. Yet, he has shown signs of maturity and sensibility in the way he concluded the interview.

He said “Athletes have their career for 15 years and you have to make the most of it because once it’s over, it’s over,”

“I’m sure there are a lot of people who look back feeling like they have missed out. They took it for granted and felt like they could have done more. Every single race, every day you have to make it count.”

When talking about athletes having careers for 15 years, Hamilton is the prime example of this statement. The 2022 season marks the 16th year for Lewis in F1. Surprisingly, he still believes that the best of him is yet to come.

The astounding spectacle that is a mystery is that once both of these British drivers are in competitive machinery, then who comes out on top at the Mercedes camp.