“The two Mercedes come together!” Whenever Toto Wolff recalls this horrific moment from 2016, he must be making mental notes to never let it happen again. When George Russell came into the team, many thought he would emulate a similar rivalry that Nico Rosberg had with Lewis Hamilton. While that has not played out exactly as some people expected, Russell being a good teammate is also not the true picture. It is just that after spending 10 years at Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton gets some more attention. One never knows if this may become the influence of a similar 2016 deja vu.

The Japanese GP was a classic example of Mercedes‘ potential favoritism towards the seven-time champion. Of course, Russell was on a different, slower strategy. Yet, the Silver Arrows had a choice to hold off Carlos Sainz in formation, as Lewis had only one place to gain through the team orders.

Will George Russell get frustrated by Mercedes prioritizing Lewis Hamilton?

George Russell may not be too worried currently, given how he was the leading man in Singapore all weekend. However, Hamilton’s rapport with the Brackley team goes way back. So it is quite natural that in the toughest of situations, Lewis may have full backing. This leaves us with the question of whether there is a driver hierarchy at the Silver Arrows. An inside man of Mercedes has answered it.

Speaking on the Sky Sports F1 podcast, Mercedes simulator driver & Sky Sports analyst Anthony Davidson shared his views on this topic. Davidson has been associated with the team since 2010, having continued his role as a simulator driver since 2012. He stated, “There’s definitely a hierarchy in that team. And rightly so. You know, Lewis has earned that status in that team as a seven-time world champion, and George can’t argue against that.”

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“George is still the understudy, and he’s doing a very good job on those occasions where he’s got the speed over Lewis to really take the fight to him. But he’s doing it in such a George Russell polite way, which is quite humorous to watch. Because I know inside the car, he’ll be fuming and steaming.”

Naturally, for any driver, being #2 on the team is not ideal. They want to win races and championships, and not just stay a wingman to their teammate. Russell also has excellent capabilities in qualifying and race craft, which he has proven in his two years so far. So, come what may, the 25-year-old may not stay calm for a long time if Mercedes keeps prioritizing Hamilton.

After Drama Against Lewis Hamilton, George Russell Served Harsh Reminder of Toto Wolff’s Elite Mentality by Ex-Ferrari Boss

One thing Russell knows for sure is that he is Hamilton’s successor. That is how Toto Wolff groomed him and got him in the team. Therefore, the man from King’s Lynn also knows that having any sort of Rosberg-Hamilton incident is not going to help anything. In fact, his comments about his 2023 season performance reflect an entirely refreshing and positive mindset.

Russell – Enjoying the big boys’ club at Mercedes

After having spent three struggle-filled years at Williams, George Russell must have felt like coming to heaven at Mercedes. Out of those 3 years, he couldn’t score a point for 2 and a half seasons. Such was the struggle in a backmarker Williams’ car. Cut to 2022, Russell scored 275 points, 35 more than his veteran champion teammate. It must have been a dream come true. However, the young Briton feels that his 2023 season has been the best so far.

After 75% of the season over, Russell has only scored 115 points so far in 2023. Lewis Hamilton has far outscored him this year and sits a pretty 3rd in the standings at 190 points relative to a lowly 8th for George. Yet, Russell said that his performance has been the best this season. He told the media, “In terms of pure performance, I feel that this season has been my best ever.”

“But I reckon there’s over 60 points that we’ve lost this season for a number of different reasons,” he added. Russell knows that he has lost several points in multiple races. Thus, it makes sense that he feels he has performed better than 2022, just that he doesn’t have the tally to show for it.

After only scoring 16 points across 3 years at Williams, Russell knows he is on one of the best upward trajectories in F1. Still, how would he go about being a leader at Mercedes above Hamilton? Let us know your thoughts.

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