Seven-time F1 champion Lewis Hamilton has jumped to the defence of his Mercedes team-mate, George Russell.

Lewis Hamilton rushes to George Russell’s defence

Lewis Hamilton is happy to help George Russell “grow and improve” over the next two seasons, following the former Williams driver’s last lap crash.

The Singapore GP is notorious for being the most mentally and physically challenging races of the season, due to the heat, humidity, length of the race and the endless walls.

Russell ultimately lost concentration when it mattered most on the final lap, when trying to get past Lando Norris for second place.

The 25-year-old clipped the wall on the entry to Turn 10 and went straight off into the barrier, much to his anger and frustration.

He was visibly emotional after the race given how gruelling the event is, with a podium at the Marina Bay Circuit feeling incredibly rewarding.

Instead, Hamilton inherited P3 having been right behind his team-mate, meaning he saw Russell’s accident unfold before his eyes.

It marked the seven-time World Champion’s 196th podium, when really it should’ve been Russell’s 11th in F1
Hamilton himself knows just how easy it is to make an error in Singapore, with him having gone into the barrier at Turn 7 12 months ago.

However, he learnt from his mistake and his now prepared to help Russell in anyway over the next two years they’re together at Mercedes.

“We are all trying to be millimetre perfect out there and it’s very, very easy to make mistakes,” Hamilton told media after the Singapore GP.

“It’s easy for any of us, being in the position George was in. He had been driving phenomenal all weekend, so it was really unfortunate for him, last lap, to finish that way.

But he continues to grow and improve. I know that he will keep getting stronger and faster. If there is any way I can help him be a part of that over the next couple of years.

“I have a lot of experience, I’ve been here a long time, putting together a race is, not that it’s easy, but the race is where I’m most comfortable on track. It’s just about keeping your head down.

“If you look at last year I made a mistake at turn seven and went off and crashed in the wall. It can happen to any of us. It’s just one of those things.”Russell then switched to a one-stop strategy following the incident, which saw him feature towards the front in the closing stages.Due to poor tyre wear compared to those on a two-stop strategy though, the ex-Williams driver tumbled down to seventh by the end of the race.One of the drivers to get past was Hamilton, although the team had to instruct Russell to let the 103-time race winner past.The two were holding each other up for much longer than they needed to, something which allowed Carlos Sainz to catch up.

Russell then switched to a one-stop strategy following the incident, which saw him feature towards the front in the closing stages.

Due to poor tyre wear compared to those on a two-stop strategy though, the ex-Williams driver tumbled down to seventh by the end of the race.

One of the drivers to get past was Hamilton, although the team had to instruct Russell to let the 103-time race winner past.

The two were holding each other up for much longer than they needed to, something which allowed Carlos Sainz to catch up.