The 2024 Formula 1 season was one of the most important in Mercedes’ history as they said goodbye to their greatest driver.
Lewis Hamilton – after six Drivers’ Championships and a further eighth team titles – announced he would be leaving at the end of the year.
Ferrari would be the 39-year-old’s next destination off the back of three campaigns that haven’t lived up to the team’s extraordinarily high standards.
Between Hamilton and George Russell, they’ve won five races since the finale of the controversial 2021 campaign.
Russell edges that intra-team battle, winning in Brazil in 2022 as well as securing victories in Austria and Las Vegas this season.
Hamilton’s dramatic victory at Silverstone was followed up by a win in Spa that he inherited from Russell when he was disqualified for having an underweight car.
Martin Brundle predicted Hamilton would be upset after Spa despite coming away with what turned out to be his final win for the team.
Brundle made a prediction ahead of the start of the season about Russell and his role at Mercedes to Sky Sports F1.
Before the grid had formed up in Bahrain, he had already correctly guessed how Russell would cope with Hamilton’s impending exit.
Martin Brundle predicted George Russell to ‘lead’ Mercedes as the season goes on
Hamilton and Russell have different feedback styles at Mercedes, but as the season went on, it was clear that the three-time race winner wasn’t hanging back and waiting for Hamilton to move on before making his mark on the team.
His superior record in qualifying is very impressive and the first time that Hamilton has been so convincingly beaten in that regard, especially considering he currently holds the record for most pole positions in F1 history.
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Ahead of the season, Brundle said: “I’m looking forward to George Russell coming out of Lewis Hamilton’s shadow a little bit.
“I think he has got all the ingredients to step up and lead that team as the season progresses.”
Brundle predicted Russell to come out Hamilton’s shadow also happened off the track as well.
Hamilton was initially Max Verstappen’s biggest rival, especially during the 2021 season.
It’s clear now that the feud to look out for next year is between the Dutchman and Mercedes’ newest lead driver.
Max Verstappen and George Russell could be a blockbuster battle in 2025
Out of the top four teams in Formula 1 heading into 2025, only two have obvious number one drivers.
Verstappen has led Red Bull for some time and might even have another teammate going into next year.
Liam Lawson is the favourite to replace Sergio Perez but no decision has been officially confirmed at this stage.
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Russell will be joined by Kimi Antonelli next year and while the Italian teenager is undoubtedly talented, he’s still very raw.
McLaren and Ferrari will have to manage the relationship between their drivers, as that quartet will all have ambitions to win the championship.
That could work against them and so the feud between Verstappen and Russell – if they’re both in competitive cars – could end up being about more than just pride.
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