‘I wouldn’t say I’m the leader’: Seven-time F1 champion Lewis Hamilton, 37, denies being the star in Mercedes partnership with 24-year-old George Russell… as the duo ‘work equally hard together’
- Former champion Lewis Hamilton has insisted he is not the leader at Mercedes
- Hamilton’s hopes of a record-breaking eighth championship win are all but over
- Team-mate George Russell sits 28 points ahead of Hamilton in the F1 standings
Lewis Hamilton has insisted that he not the leader at Mercedes and that he and George Russell work together.
Hamilton’s hopes of a record-breaking eighth world championship victory are all but over already this season after what has proved to be a strange F1 season for the 37-year-old.
The former champion started the season with an unlikely podium finish at the opening race in Bahrain was followed by a 10th-place finish in Saudi Arabia.
Lewis Hamilton insists he is not the leader of Mercedes partnership with George Russell
In Spain, he produced one of the drives of his career to come from the back of the field to P5, but his long-term future in the sport has been questioned given the rise of his team-mate Russell – who sits 28 points clear of Hamilton in the standings.
The seven-time champion has also denied the idea that he is the team’s default leader over the younger and less experienced Russell.
‘Well, firstly, I wouldn’t say I’m the leader. George and I work equally hard together, I would say, to help drive the team and row just as hard as everyone else in the team,’ Hamilton told the Independent.
It has been a strange season for 37-year-old Hamilton who sits 28 points behind Russell
‘But through adversity and challenging times you always learn more about yourself, how you deal with things, how you reflect on things, how you are able to turn negatives into positives.
‘I wouldn’t say I’ve learned particularly much more, so I will say past experiences have helped during this phase. And I would say to just reassuring the strength I know I have mentally.
‘Also, just reassuring us I still love my job, I still love the challenge even if it’s not fighting for wins.
‘I’m still enjoying this battle we are having internally in terms of trying to, with the car I mean, trying to chase down these other guys.’
Team-mate Russell, 24, who is enjoying a successful debut season, has revealed that he is inspired by how Hamilton and the whole Mercedes team push each other.
Russell, 24, insists he is inspired by how Hamilton and the Mercedes team push each other
‘I think that’s been one of the big things I’ve seen with joining Mercedes, seeing how Lewis does things, how Toto [Wolff] does things, the culture that’s ingrained within everyone,’ he said.
‘It’s sort of relentless. They are always striving for more, never being complacent and seeing how everyone’s pulling together at the moment to try and resolve these issues we are facing, it inspires and it’s also motivating for myself because you learn how the best in the business do it and you need to continuously push yourself for more.
‘So I think I’m in a really privileged position to be team-mates with Lewis and be part of Mercedes.’
Russell now sits fourth in the F1 standings behind Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc, and Sergio Perez after just missing out on victory at the Spanish GP as he was passed by world champion Verstappen late in the race.