Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes are the most successful partnership in Formula 1 history, but the final few seasons haven’t produced the same level of results many within the team got used to.
Unfortunately for George Russell, his time with Mercedes has coincided with this downturn.
Lewis Hamilton won his most recent Drivers’ Championship in 2020, while the team won the team championship a year later despite Hamilton being pipped on the final lap by Max Verstappen.
Valtteri Bottas departed Mercedes at the end of the 2021 season and Russell arrived after three years learning his trade with Williams.
Toto Wolff has admitted not wanting Kimi Antonelli to go to Williams after Russell’s prolonged experience outside of the Mercedes family, but it did give him plenty of experience in Formula 1.
However, Russell arrived when a tweak in the ruleset meant a shift towards ground effect cars, something Red Bull and in particular Adrian Newey had plenty of experience with.
Mercedes entered a downturn that saw Russell win their only race in two years in Brazil in 2022, and only this year have they returned to winning semi-regularly.
That hasn’t impacted the two Brit’s relationship and Russell has already called Hamilton a legend following his departure from the team.
Covering the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix for Sky Sports F1 (8/12 12:49 pm), Nico Rosberg spotted one moment from Russell before the race that he absolutely loved.
Nico Rosberg spotted perfect George Russell moment with Lewis Hamilton before the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Before the race, Russell and Hamilton were split by 10 positions after an unfortunate exit from qualifying.
However, on the grid, Hamilton was making a point of thanking his race team and Rosberg said: “Yeah, it’s just pure emotion and a very nice gesture from Lewis there, just one last fist bump to his family essentially!
“The mechanics are your family, so beautiful to see.”
READ MORE: Mercedes driver George Russell’s life outside F1 from net worth to height
Danica Patrick replied and said: “You saw the emotion when he didn’t get the qualifying that he wanted.
“There’s so much heart in that relationship, so much emotion. Nothing will be better than if he can have a storming day, and a podium? A dream.”
Rosberg continued: “One more beautiful moment, George Russell went all the way to the back of the grid just to give Lewis one final hug as a teammate.
It’s the ultimate sign of respect that’s again, wonderful.”
Lewis Hamilton now has to build up that same bond with Ferrari staff and Charles Leclerc
Hamilton and his Mercedes colleagues have built up an incredible rapport over the past 12 seasons.
Mercedes understand Hamilton’s feedback perfectly and the different intricacies he and Russell have.
The 39-year-old now has to start that all again at Ferrari when he makes the move to Maranello during the winter.
READ MORE: Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton’s life outside F1 from net worth to family
Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz have a good relationship at Ferrari even if it’s flared up from time to time.
Hamilton will arrive wanting to beat Leclerc while the Monegasque driver will have something to prove given the length of time he’s spent with the team.
The last thing he’ll want is a new driver arriving and suddenly knocking him off his perch, especially as Ferrari could have a championship-winning car.
That puts the pressure on team principal Frederic Vasseur to carefully manage their relationship.
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