Mercedes team member reveals driver HIERARCHY.

Sky Sports F1 pundit and Mercedes performance driver Anthony Davidson said there is “definitely a hierarchy” within Mercedes regarding their drivers, with Lewis Hamilton at the top.

The relationship between the two British drivers has recently come under increased scrutiny as the two men have competed more closely in recent races.

At the Japanese Grand Prix, Russell appeared unhappy after the team told him to get out of the way for the faster Hamilton, before the seven-time world champion took the lead, leaving Russell without DRS in his battle with Carlos Sainz.

Hamilton eventually dropped back to help his teammate but it was too late and Sainz’s Ferrari passed Russell. This followed an incident earlier in the race when the two men were frantically battling for sixth and seventh place, and Hamilton appeared to have overtaken Russell.

“There is definitely a hierarchy within this team, and rightly so,” Davidson told the Sky Sports F1 podcast.

“Lewis has earned this place in the team as a seven-time world champion and George can’t argue with that.

“George is always the backup and he does it very well in those situations where he has fighting speed, but he does it in a polished, George Russell-esque way, which is quite funny to watch because as I know inside the car he will be angry and smoke when he can’t find a way out.

The incidents in Japan followed the Singapore GP, in which the Mercedes drivers once again found themselves close together on track, with Hamilton just behind Russell in the final stages of the race and both chasing the leaders on a new set of mid-size tires.

Hamilton looked a lot more athletic than Russell, but he remained patient in fourth place, knowing that if they wanted to win the race, they couldn’t waste time fighting. Ultimately, Russell pushed too hard and crashed into the barriers on the final lap, ruining his chances of fighting for victory and handing Hamilton a podium.

Hamilton is now 75 points ahead of his teammate in the Drivers’ Championship, after losing out to Russell in 2022.

Davidson stated that if and when Mercedes can provide both drivers with a car capable of challenging for race and championship wins then the relationship could become strained.

“It becomes a lot more personal and a lot more competitive when you are fighting for the championship instead of fighting for the position they had at the Japanese GP,” he continued.

“You always want to beat your teammates, but you have a better reason to go against your team’s orders when you’re aiming for a championship.”