George Russell admits he’d love to have one ‘mega strong’ Lewis Hamilton attribute at Mercedes

George Russell and Lewis Hamilton were reunited at the F1 75 launch event in London on Tuesday night. Their partnership came to an end in December as Hamilton left Mercedes to join Ferrari.

Russell was described as a team leader during his appearance on stage, with Mercedes hiring 18-year-old Kimi Antonelli as Hamilton’s replacement. Antonelli will become the third youngest driver in the sport’s history at the Australian Grand Prix next month.

Toto Wolff saw Russell grow in stature last season prior to Hamilton’s exit. He thrashed his teammate in the qualifying head-to-head and out-scored him by 22 points.

Over the course of their three seasons together, Hamilton scored more points than Russell. A last-lap overtake in Abu Dhabi swung that extremely tight battle in his favour.

But Russell will certainly feel that he finished as the stronger driver. He can expect further on-track tussles with Hamilton this season, perhaps with an added edge now that they’re racing for different teams.

George Russell names the Lewis Hamilton talent he’d ‘transplant’ into his own driving

During an interview on Virgin Radio, Russell was asked to name the Hamilton attribute he’d ‘transplant’ into his own driving. He admitted that the veteran had been better over a full race distance.

Russell felt he had the edge in qualifying and ‘probably matched’ Hamilton on a Sunday in the end. But he knows he must deliver at a world-class level for a full season.

Anthony Davidson expects Hamilton to beat Leclerc in the races at Ferrari. This is a testament to his experience, and takes on a greater importance amid the apparent decline in his one-lap pace.

“He was always very quick in the races to be honest,” Russell said. “Over the three years, I was better in the 100m sprint.

“But he was better over the course of the race. I probably matched him by the end of last year, but week-in, week-out, he was mega strong in the races.”

Carlos Sainz rates George Russell’s chances of winning 2025 F1 title at Mercedes

Martin Brundle says Mercedes will be a ‘one-horse’ team this year after promoting Antonelli from their academy. He expects the Italian to be a superstar eventually, but fears his inevitable mistakes will slow him down in 2025.

That puts extra pressure on Russell. He hasn’t carried a team’s hopes since he was at Williams, when occasional points rather than race wins were at stake.

Carlos Sainz believes Russell can win the title this season, but only if Mercedes provide a good enough car. Their drivers won two races apiece last season but only managed nine podiums – a reflection of their inconsistency.

Mercedes are ‘much more disciplined’ this year, Russell says. They’ve previously been trapped in cycle of creating new problems when trying to address existing weaknesses.