During the turbo-hybrid era of Formula 1, Mercedes were impeccable and infallible. Every piece of their championship bid just fell into place, not by accident but by design. Now, in 2023, those days seem to be mere history. Sure, the problems that the Silver Arrows have been experiencing in the latest era of this sport are epitomized by a failing W13, and now W14. However, the issue seems to be more deeply rooted in the choices they’ve made. And the decision to pair Lewis Hamilton with George Russell seems to be the last nail in the coffin for the Brackley-based team.

Back in 2022, the duo were tentatively cordial. Hamilton got the respect a 7x champion deserves and Russell was a Mercedes rookie. In 2023, the gloves seem to have come off, and pretty dramatically. Singapore was the first crack in the wall. Last week’s Japanese Grand Prix, however, tore that wall down completely.

Lewis Hamilton and George Russell will drive Mercedes into the ground

The logic is quite simple actually. With a pairing like Russell and Hamilton, the risks of a bust-up are phenomenal. Both of the drivers want to win, for different reasons of course, and are at different stages of their careers. In 2022, with an underperforming car, this wasn’t as apparent. But as Mercedes keeps getting quicker, ex-Ferrari manager, Peter Windsor thinks fatality is near.

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In a recent podcast with Cameron F1, he explained, “If you’ve got a Lewis [Hamilton], you never want to cramp his style with a George [Russell]. If you’ve got a Michael Schumacher, you don’t put Mika Hakkinen alongside him. If you’ve got Jim Clark, Jackie Stewart says no to Colin Chapman.”

“It’s gone too far and it will be a problem. The quicker that car gets, the worse the problem’s gonna get,” concludes Windsor.

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On the face of it, Russell and Hamilton still seem to be harmonious. However, a man who lost and then won it all against the 7x champion knows the cost of beating someone like Hamilton.

Russell should be careful of igniting Hamilton’s wrath

When Nico Rosberg won the 2016 F1 title, he knew it was time to leave. He couldn’t possibly put himself through the pain, all over again, fighting against someone like Lewis Hamilton. The thing is, once Hamilton feels threatened, he’ll make your life hell. And Rosberg has a few words of wisdom for Russell on this point.

He was quoted by Sky Sports F1 as saying, “That driver pairing is so strong, incredible, but, make no mistake, Lewis hates passionately to ever come second to a team-mate, so he will be ultra-motivated and pushing hard internally.”

Can George Russell put an end to Lewis Hamilton’s legacy as Mercedes’ most dominant driver?

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