Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has suggested that Lewis Hamilton and George Russell’s relationship is ‘weird’ in F1 terms because the former is happy to mentor the latter. The Austrian acknowledged that the dynamic isn’t perfect, however, and one incident left him concerned that things could go wrong on the track.
Russell stepped up from Williams to join Hamilton at Mercedes this season, with Valtteri Bottas heading to Alfa Romeo. The youngster has greatly exceeded expectations, too, occupying fourth in the Drivers’ Championship ahead of Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz and, crucially, Hamilton himself.
That’s unlikely to sit well with the seven-time world champion, who only narrowly missed out on a record-breaking eighth crown at the end of last season. Although the gap currently sits at 33 points, Wolff insists that the relationship is a healthy one and Hamilton is happy to share his expertise.
“They need to find their relationship on track because they haven’t had close racing between themselves,” he told Channel 4. “I said [to them] after Zandvoort that, for my feeling, it was a little bit too close. It could have gone wrong, but they know. They are experts.
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“How I would describe the relationship is with respect – the respect of the rookie that acknowledges his team-mate is the greatest driver of all time, with Michael [Schumacher]. And the respect of Lewis, who sees himself, in a way [in George]in terms of talent and age, growing up.
“As weird as it sounds because your team-mate is your first enemy, Lewis mentors George in a way, and George accepts that role of a young lion, whilst both of them still have the ambition to beat a team-mate, and win races and championships. That dynamic works very well together.”
Hamilton and Russell are both in the hunt to finish best of the rest, with Max Verstappen away and clear in the race for the 2022 Drivers’ Championship. Neither of the Mercedes duo have managed to win a Grand Prix this season, however, and including the Japanese Grand Prix this coming weekend, there are only five opportunities remaining.
Russell is still looking for his maiden victory in F1 while Hamilton is attempting to keep his unmatched streak alive, as the only driver to have won a Grand Prix in every year of their career. Although prospects of keeping that run going appear to be slipping away, the Brit recently insisted that he wouldn’t take it too hard if the win doesn’t come this season.
“I do not look at it as a dry spell,” Hamilton said before crossing the line ninth in Singapore on Sunday. “I feel this year has been a year of growth. It has been a good experience for all.
“There are six races [left] so there are six opportunities and we will try to get a win, but if we do not, I do not think it is the end of the world. [It has been] one of the toughest seasons of my career. We just need to understand the car. Our goal is a second placing. Hopefully, in the next six races, we will do well.”
