At present, one of the unique pairs of teammates that any Formula One team has, is Mercedes. Lewis Hamilton, a driver with seven world championships, and George Russell, with just a dream to become seven or more times F1 world champion, who has claimed just one Grand Prix win so far.
Both drivers survived the worst year of Mercedes in 2022. Russell joined the team last year and helped Mercedes round off the season with at least one win. Things were going well in Mercedes. The younger Briton has revealed several times that he respects Lewis Hamilton as he is the most experienced one. And Hamilton, too, has admitted that George is a boy of talent and skills. But sadly, this mutual love and feelings for each other could not save Hamilton and Russell from falling into disagreements.
At the first free practice session of the Australian Grand Prix today, Lewis Hamilton finished at P2. But in the second session, he was way too back; he ended up on P13. Moreover, the Briton claimed the overall experience to be struggling. Speaking with Sky Sports, Hamilton said, “The morning [FP1] was good, but the afternoon [FP2] was not so good. And it is as simple as that.“
However, this is not something that George Russell, who finished the FP1 and FP2 at P9 and P4, respectively, agrees with. Hamilton might seem a little frustrated about getting on P13, but Russell is looking for the positive aspect. He appreciated team Mercedes for having made those significant changes they did in between the two sessions. To Sky Sports, the 25-years old informed, “Mercedes made a step from FP1, which is a good thing.”
George Russell Agrees With Hamilton That Mercedes Can’t Compete With Red Bull Yet
George Russell claims that the not-so-bright practice session of Mercedes in Australia today was still a reasonable one. He revealed a lot of things about the progress that the Brackley team is into developing in the concise term. According to Russell, “Mercedes has been making some really good steps lately.” Several parts of the W14 have been changed, which on the other hand, has turned the window into a nice one as the weekend progresses.
Just after the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, the German squad confirmed that a little upgrade is on the way. Moreover, it was reported that before the Australian Grand Prix arrives, it will be launched. When Lewis Hamilton posted a very strong FP1, just 0.4s behind the Red Bull star, Max Verstappen, fans believed it was the result of the upgrades that Mercedes brought in the W14. But just in the second practice, things changed. It changed for Hamilton and Russell. The former was put down to P13 from 2, while the later was put forward to P4 from 9.
The different outcomes of the two Mercedes drivers allowed little disagreement about the overall experience with the car. But both of them could not disagree with the fact that “Mercedes is not yet ready to compete against Red Bull on Sunday.” Russell believes that right now, with the little steps Mercedes is adopting, the only possibility for them is to get up as high as possible.