George Russell took a moment to cherish his time racing with Lewis Hamilton, as they gear up for their last season together at Mercedes.
The announcement on Thursday, 1 February, that Hamilton is set to move to Ferrari at the beginning of the 2025 Formula 1 season, marks the end of his 12-year journey with Mercedes. During this period, Hamilton has clinched six drivers’ championships and has the opportunity to compete for another in 2024.
Russell, who made the switch to Mercedes from Williams in 2022 and achieved his first F1 victory in that initial season with the team, responded to the news of Hamilton’s forthcoming exit. On Friday, Russell took to Twitter to express his sentiments towards his fellow British teammate: “It’s been special racing alongside you, @lewishamilton. Let’s make this season one to remember.”
In addition to his tweet, Russell posted an image of him and Hamilton perched on their Mercedes cars and a snapshot of the duo sharing a laugh in ice baths.
Hamilton, at 39, hasn’t secured an F1 victory since 2021, a season that controversially saw him miss out on a record eighth championship in the very last lap of the final race.
Since then, Hamilton has notched up 15 podium finishes, ranking sixth in the drivers’ standings in 2022 and improving to third in 2023. Russell, for his part, has landed 10 podiums over these two seasons, finishing fourth and then dropping to eighth in the championship rankings.
With Hamilton set to take Carlos Sainz’s place at Ferrari next season, partnering with Charles Leclerc, there’s ongoing speculation about Sainz potentially moving to Mercedes in a direct exchange. Sergio Perez, Lando Norris, and Alex Albon are also in the mix as possible candidates to team up with Russell.
