Lewis Hamilton was mocked for having a ‘jumbo jet’ ego as his relationship with Mercedes teammate George Russell was analyzed by former F1 driver Christian Danner. The seven-time world champion endured a miserable 2022 season, but there are signs of a burgeoning connection with fellow Brit Russell.
Mercedes failed to adapt to the all-new technical regulations as Hamilton and Russell were rendered uncompetitive by a struggling W13 car. And Hamilton saw 2021 rival Max Verstappen cruise to a second world title as he endured his first full campaign on the grid without a race win.
Russell sealed his first, and only race win of the 2022 season for the Silver Arrows with a brilliant drive at the penultimate Brazilian Grand Prix.
The 24-year-old outscored his legendary teammate who is 13 years his senior, and showed signs that he could challenge Hamilton in an enticing battle if the duo have a race-winning car in 2023.
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But there was little tension at Mercedes this year, perhaps owing to a season where the struggles mainly lied with an underperforming car. But former German driver Danner is intrigued to see how a rivalry could develop between the two Brits, as he believes Hamilton has an inflated ego.
“They are an interesting duo in terms of personalities, because Lewis Hamilton usually has his ego flown in by jumbo jet and George Russell is more of a chatterbox who approaches things with an open mind. To have those two in one team, I find very exciting,” he told Sport1.
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Hamilton, meanwhile, was impressed with Russell’s performances in his maiden season with Mercedes. The 37-year-old does not envisage any problems arising with his teammate in the future, despite the fact Russell represents genuine competition to be no.1 driver with the German team.
“I’m a lot older and I’ve been with the team so long,” Hamilton said after Russell’s victory at Interlagos. “So managing whatever challenges we come up with moving forward, we’ve been through so much that I don’t think it’s going to be a problem.”
He added: “I’ve seen what he did at Williams. I naturally think you have to say it’s impressive what he’s done this year, the consistency he’s had, how he’s arrived and just hit the ground running. He’s helped keep the equilibrium in the team, in terms of the working relationship I think it’s strong.”
