They could be teammates in 2022, but the Lewis Hamilton and George Russell rivalry is set to boil soon, according to David Coulthard. 23-year-old Russell will replace Valterri Bottas at Mercedes next season to make a delicious British cast and has already warned seven-time world champion Hamilton that he won’t be content with being number two.
While Hamilton, 36, extensively praised the outgoing Bottas, his heated relationship with former teammate Nico Rosberg became infamous as the two frequently clashed in their battles for the drivers’ championship.
It was Hamilton who left the Germans behind in the overall standings in both 2014 and 2016 before Rosberg took revenge by winning the title in 2016 in what turned out to be his final season in F1 before surprisingly retiring.
Now Coulthard, who is currently working on Channel 4’s F1 coverage, has predicted that similar tensions will ease when Russell joins Williams from Williams at the end of this season. When asked whether things could “start” between the two of them next season, Coulthard was in no doubt.
“It definitely will. It will be the genesis of George versus the driver of a few generations, “he told the Independent.
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“The pressure is much greater, he has an incredible teammate with the greatest records and so it’s important that you condition him and calibrate him properly.
“We have seen situations in the past where they have failed; Lewis was part of a situation where I didn’t think the team fully understood how it could possibly go. “
Wolff, 49, says the team has learned from past experience, but indicated that two ambitious drivers could mediate: “I think we may be a little better prepared for this situation, but he still has the whole thing Ambition. “To be a future world champion and Lewis too, to add another one, so it’s about calibration.”
Despite his profitable move, Russell is not expected to immediately question the supremacy of his more respected partner.
He made headlines in qualifying last month in Belgium, securing second place in an uncompetitive Williams car, a position that became his last the following day when bad weather allowed only two laps of the race behind a safety car.
In the 2020 season, he replaced Hamilton at Mercedes for the Sakhir Grand Prix while the defending champion was riding Covid-19 and put in an impressive performance before finishing ninth due to tire problems.
However, he will join Mercedes as a full-time driver who is still looking for a first Grand Prix win.
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