Lewis Hamilton cannot accept playing second fiddle to George Russell at Mercedes and is already thinking of switching Formula One teams, according to Mika Hakkinen.
Having been narrowly pipped for the 2021 drivers’ title by Red Bull’s Max Verstappen last season, Hamilton is now being forced to adjust to a very different type of racing. The 37-year-old is fifth in the drivers’ standings after three races, nine points behind his Mercedes team-mate Russell.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc is currently well clear at the top of the standings, with Hamilton having finished third, 10th and fourth in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Australia respectively. Mercedes’ cars have been struggling with technical issues during the first races of the season and two-time world champion Hakkinen thinks Hamilton is “annoyed by the situation”.
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“It’s a tough spot for Lewis, it’s obvious,” he told Planet F1. “The last race in Australia was a tough spot for Lewis – really tough. They got a good result – not the result they hoped for but still good points for the team.
“But I’m sure Lewis is still annoyed by the situation. It’s hard to be beaten by George. I’m afraid this will be a really difficult season for Lewis. It’s already difficult for Mercedes but especially for Lewis.”
Russell is in his first full season for Mercedes, having replaced Valtteri Bottas as Hamilton’s team-mate in September. The 24-year-old Brit is currently out-performing his senior team-mate and seven-time world champion and Hakkinen believes that won’t be going down well behind the scenes.
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Lewis Hamilton is currently nine points behind team-mate George Russell
(Image: GIUSEPPE CACACE/Getty Images)
“George comes from a team with little or no success,” the 53-year-old said. “He had some good results in qualifying but not in races. All these achievements with Mercedes are new to him. Everything feels super good.
“For Lewis, this is a disaster – and with George being ahead, it’s even worse. I wonder how Lewis behaves in the team meetings. I bet he’s sulking. I can imagine the sulking. There’s lots of complaining and whining.
“And now starts the natural thought process of drivers. ‘Should I go somewhere else?’ It’s a fact. He’s been at Mercedes for years and won multiple championships. Now that things are not going well, he’ll start thinking of switching teams.”
After a two-week break, the F1 season will resume in Italy for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix this weekend. Hamilton will be hoping to close the 43-point gap to leader Leclerc, as well as the nine points to Russell.
