George Russell and Max Verstappen have been arch-rivals since the former joined Mercedes ahead of the 2022 season. They have faced different challenges in the last few seasons. Both drivers are 26 years old. But their career trajectory has been vastly different. The challenge for the Mercedes driver was to prove himself worthy as a teammate of the then-reigning champion, Lewis Hamilton. On the other hand, the Red Bull driver faced the challenge of constantly proving himself the best in the grid. During his debut season for Mercedes, George Russell won the only race for the team. Lewis Hamilton remained winless in 2022 and in 2023 as well. The seven-time champion might also end the current season without a win.
That would mean him going through three winless seasons. Russell was able to beat his teammate in 2022. Even in 2024, it seems the 26-year-old driver is able to handle the W15 car better than the seven-time champion. On the other hand, there has been no stopping Max Verstappen. He is winning sprint races and then the main events and everything. However, there have been rumors that the Dutch racer would leave Red Bull given the internal turmoil. Mercedes is one of the favorites for landing Verstappen. George Russell said he was up for the challenge of having the best racer as his teammate.
George Russell Wants Mercedes To Sign Max Verstappen
Recently, in an interview with Crash.net, George Russell mentioned that he would be all for the challenge of having the current three-time champion as his new teammate. Early in the current year, Lewis Hamilton announced his departure from Mercedes. He would join Ferrari next year. Since then, Toto Wolff had been looking for a suitable replacement of the seven-time champion. Every now and then, Max Verstappen comes up as the suitable choice for Wolff to sign as Hamilton’s replacement. Moreover, Adrian Newey, the design chief, announced his departure from Red Bull because of the team’s internal turmoil. Now, the fans wonder if Max will leave the Austrian outfit too. If that’s the case, Russell would welcome Verstappen as his new teammate.
Moreover, the 26-year-old Mercedes driver remembered his early days on the team when he joined. He said it could have been a huge task for any driver to be teammates with Hamilton, who was coming off legendary victories and years with the team. But Russell said he believes that it is important to go up against the best in the same machinery to prove his worth. Hence, he jumped up on the opportunity to be teammates with Hamilton, where he has been for so long, and “Showing what I’ve got.” He praised Lewis Hamilton for being a great teammate over the past three years. But George Russell wants to go against the best. Hence, he urged Toto Wolff and the Mercedes team to make the deal with Max Verstappen happen.
Ahead Of The Miami GP, The Young Briton Talked About The Present Status Of The Silver Arrows
Lately, in an interview with Motorsport, George Russell mentioned that Mercedes has learned a lot about the car from the past two races. However, they are still trying to understand their platform. Moreover, they have brought new upgrades to the Miami Grand Prix.
❌ ELIMINATED IN SQ2 ❌
BOTH MERCEDES ARE OUT! 🤯
Russell
Hamilton 📸
Ocon
Magnussen
Tsunoda#F1Sprint #MiamiGP pic.twitter.com/pSlkrXQ07E— Formula 1 (@F1) May 3, 2024
At present, Russell believes the Silver Arrows are in a much better place as they have done some extreme set of options in between the last two Grands Prix. Currently, George Russell said the team knows where W15 is operating best. For the 26-year-old driver, Mercedes needs to fine-tune where the car operates at its best and try to build upon some better foundations.
Stay tuned to Sports News International for more such updates about your favorite F1 team.
