Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and George Russell have been teammates since last year. Previously, Russell was part of the Williams team. On the other hand, Hamilton’s teammate was Valtteri Bottas. Bottas and Hamilton had been a pretty successful duo for the Mercedes team. Ever since Russell joined the German team, they have lost their grip on the title. Not that Russell is of any fault here. In fact, George Russell, in his debut season for Mercedes, won the only race for the team. But Mercedes remains winless even after 16 races this season. Everybody knows the reason is the trouble with the car.
They had a very bad porpoising issue with W13 that they could not control last year. However, W14 is better than W13 in terms of bouncing and sliding issues. But if it ends without a win this season, then on paper, W13 will turn out to be a more successful car. Then, it will prove that Mercedes has not improved their performance at all from the last season. But what about the dynamic between the drivers being an issue other than the car’s problems?
Peter Windsor Questions The Chemistry Between Lewis Hamilton And George Russell
Recently, Peter Windsor claimed that Hamilton wanted Bottas to stay. The F1 pundit suggested on his YouTube Channel that Lewis Hamilton was not happy with the entry of George Russell into the team. He believes there is clearly some acrimony between the duo for sure. Thus, it is not a good sign for the Silver Arrows. The F1 pundit even painted a picture asking what if they were fighting for the title this season if they had a championship-winning car.
Windsor even acknowledged that if Mercedes fights for the title next season, then it would be very difficult to manage the imbalance between Lewis Hamilton and George Russell. He feels the dynamic between Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez reminds him of the chemistry of the former Mercedes duo Hamilton-Bottas. It is not like Hamilton loved Bottas. But the duo helped in maintaining the right balance in the team. For instance, Red Bull has got the right balance, as Checo does not really put up a challenge for the Dutchman. The Japanese Grand Prix showed the perfect example of that dynamic.
Karun Chandhok Also Saw A Bit Of Friction Between The Mercedes Drivers
Besides Windsor, another F1 Pundit, Karun Chandhok, also feels that something is odd about the Hamilton-Russell dynamic. Moreover, Chandhok said Lewis Hamilton is 75 points ahead of his teammate. Hamilton was pretty quick to point that out. Hence, there is some sort of friction or needle between the two. Previously, Lewis Hamilton mentioned that they were not fighting for the driver’s position in the championship. First of all, Hamilton said, they are not close and no way near the top spot.
Hence, it’s all about getting the maximum points for the team. Last year, Mercedes won only in the Brazilian Grand Prix with George Russell driving the W13 car. Lewis Hamilton finished at P2 in the 2022 Brazilian Grand Prix. Albeit Mercedes enjoyed a one-two finish in Sao Paolo, Brazil, last year was pretty awful for the team. Suddenly, the German team found out that in the cost cap era, they had lost their advantage of having the fastest car. On the other hand, there has been no stopping Red Bull since 2022, as they are enjoying hegemony with the fastest car. Lately, the Austrian team ensured back-to-back constructor title victories in the last Grand Prix in Suzuka, Japan.
