With every change in season comes a new challenge, a new champion, and a new challenger. Lewis Hamilton entered the sport in 2007 as a new challenger to the veterans like Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen. The young challenger soon became the champion and went on to dominate the sport like no other. However, as history repeats itself, even Hamilton faces a challenger in the form of his teammate. But unlike the 2022 season, George Russell is now pipped to hold the fort after Hamilton’s eventual departure.

After outclassing Hamilton in 2022, the Mercedes men were being pitted against each other. However, as time is passing, the world of F1 is appreciating the two as teammates instead of rivals. In fact, Russell’s prowess behind a single-seater has earned him the right to become the rightful heir to the Mercedes throne. Sky Sports journalist Martin Brundle also backed Russell to take over after Hamilton in his recent comments, as quoted by Motorsport.

“There’s very little difference between Lewis and George, and that’s a big compliment for George, we know how smart, motivated Lewis is,” said Brundle. “This shows for Mercedes that if, say, Lewis retires or decides to leave the team at any point, George is really up for the job. Mercedes has a really great team of drivers, I have a lot of respect for both George and Lewis, they are handling the situation very well.” (Translated via Google)

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The change is imminent. However, there is no doubt in anyone’s mind, Hamilton will fight till the end and this is exactly what he showcased during the latter half of the 2022 season. In fact, it’s a trend that boss Toto Wolff believes will continue.

Toto Wolff believes the power dynamic will shift between George Russell and Lewis Hamilton

The first half of the 2022 season was absolutely shocking for the Mercedes team, especially Hamilton. During the difficult period, Russell held the fort as Mercedes scurried to find a solution. When Mercedes was on better footing, Hamilton showcased his abilities behind the wheel as well. This to and fro between the two drivers will become a regular fixture, according to Wolff, because such is the quality of the two drivers.

“Like at the beginning of the year, you could say George was doing very well, and then in the last third of the year, it was Lewis. But in terms of optimum performance, we have the combination of the two best drivers, the strongest line-up. And therefore, we are always going to see those cycles, in my opinion between the two,” Wolff told GP Fans.

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Mercedes will want to see these cycles of performance get both drivers on the podium more often. It might not be enough to beat Red Bull but Mercedes still can make the frontrunners nervous. Although only time will tell if the Brackley outfit can maintain consistency.