via Getty
MONTREAL, QUEBEC – JUNE 08: Pole position qualifier Sebastian Vettel of Germany and Ferrari and second place qualifier Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Mercedes GP talk in parc ferme during qualifying for the F1 Grand Prix of Canada at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, Canada. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)
via Getty
MONTREAL, QUEBEC – JUNE 08: Pole position qualifier Sebastian Vettel of Germany and Ferrari and second place qualifier Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Mercedes GP talk in parc ferme during qualifying for the F1 Grand Prix of Canada at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, Canada. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)
George Russell will join Mercedes next season to drive alongside Lewis Hamilton. Many drivers have given the British driver advice on how to tackle the challenge of being teammates with the 7-time world champion. But Aston Martin driver Sebastian Vettel gave his opinions on the new pairing and how Lewis should handle Russell.
Vettel was in a similar position in 2019 when Charles Leclerc joined Ferrari. The Monegasque went toe-to-toe with the 4-time world champion and eventually came out on top.
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I don’t know, Lewis is old enough, he doesn’t need much advice: Sebastian Vettel
Vettel got a taste of the talent of the young generation in 2019. But he mentions that the Mercedes driver does not need his advice and can tackle the challenge of Russell well on his own. He also stated that Lewis should enjoy battling with a young teammate in 2022.
via Reuters
FILE PHOTO: Formula One F1 – Belgian Grand Prix – Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot, Belgium – September 1, 2019, Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton and Williams’ George Russell before the race REUTERS/Johanna Geron/File Photo
“I don’t know. Lewis is old enough. He doesn’t need much advice. Every situation is different as well; yes, I think if you get to race with a new teammate, you always get stuff you get to learn on both sides as well,” said Sebastian.
READ MORE: Why did Ferrari Sign Carlos Sainz?
The Aston Martin driver recalls what it was like working with Leclerc at Ferrari
As reported by Formula One, Vettel had quite a few on-track battles with the young Monegasque. But he seems to have enjoyed his time with Charles off-track.
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Seb: "It was like that when Charles joined the team and looking back I enjoyed it, I’ve always been quite open and straightforward, and I learned a similar way of working from Charles as well so it was quite straightforward between us, which was nice."
🥰https://t.co/H5dizpmCfD pic.twitter.com/lIxt0JgV9p
— tami. (@Vetteleclerc) September 17, 2021
“It was like that when Charles joined the team and looking back I enjoyed [it], I’ve always been quite open and straightforward, and I learned a similar way of working from Charles as well so it was quite straightforward between us, which was nice,” said Vettel.
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It is believed that the 2019 on-track results of Charles influenced the Italian team to make him the number one driver ahead of Vettel. This decision meant that Vettel had to leave the Ferrari at the end of the 2020 season.
Will we see a repeat of Vettel-Leclerc in 2019 with Lewis-George in 2022? Let us know.
