George Russell impressively outperformed Lewis Hamilton in his debut season at Mercedes. The Brackley-based team had only secured one victory in the previous campaign, adding to the significance of Russell’s achievement.
However, the current season has witnessed a reversal of fortunes for the two drivers, with Hamilton getting off to a strong start despite the W14 car not being fully aligned with his driving style and expectations.
The 38-year-old has secured the only podium finish for the Silver Arrows in the current season, placing him 16 points ahead of Russell and occupying a higher spot in the drivers’ standings after the first five races.
Despite Hamilton leading his teammate by points, Russell has remarkably outperformed the seven-time world champion in terms of qualifying, beating him on four separate occasions.
When asked to provide his assessment of the current situation between the Mercedes teammates, David Coulthard shared his thoughts during an interview with Channel 4.
“This is the best car that George has ever driven, remember he was at Williams, this is not the best car that Lewis has ever driven,” said Coulthard.
“His mind is in a different place, the car isn’t talking to him, playing to his strengths and you can see he is fighting it out there, it’s just not stable.
“So you have two drivers at different phases of their career. The mighty Lewis is still in there, it just won’t really show itself until the Mercedes is as mighty as it once was.”
As Lewis Hamilton’s current contract with Mercedes nears its expiration date, speculations regarding his future in F1 have arisen.
However, the 38-year-old driver has made it clear that he has no intentions of parting ways with the team, despite their inability to offer him a front-running car for the past two seasons.
“George is just sort of constantly there,” Coulthard added. “This is the best car he’s ever driven, so he’s not caught up with the baggage of Lewis trying to figure it out, ‘am I re-signing for another year?’ ‘Can I win another world championship?’ So there’s a lot more on his plate.
“George is doing a brilliant job, [he is an] absolute asset for the team. That’s not to say Lewis isn’t doing a brilliant job, it just means that the car isn’t talking to him right now and when it does, expect him to be showing George why he won seven world championships.”
