George Russell shows true colours with comment on Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari struggles.
Lewis Hamilton and George Russell were team-mates at Mercedes for three years until the seven-time F1 champion chose to join rivals Ferrari for this 2025 season.
George Russell has predicted “we will see more of that magic” from Lewis Hamilton when he finally finds his groove at Ferrari. So far, his high-profile switch to the Italian team has yielded little success.
In just his second race with the team, Hamilton won the sprint at the Chinese Grand Prix. That result naturally raised expectations but Ferrari were brought crashing down to earth just one day later when both he and team-mate Charles Leclerc were disqualified from the main event in Shanghai.
Hamilton’s results other than that sprint win have been forgettable. The 40-year-old admits there is still a long way to go before he is comfortable in Ferrari machinery while there has also been something of a culture shock for the Brit as he adapts to life surrounded by new colleagues, most of them Italian.
But his former team-mate Russell still believes there are far better things to come from the seven-time Formula 1 champion. “After Fernando [Alonso] he’s the most experienced driver on the grid,” the Mercedes driver said.
“He’s a seven-time World champion, and he’s an incredible person and racing driver. We saw it in China, second race of the season, on pole in the sprint, wins the race comfortably.
“I know what he’s capable of, and it’s not easy going into a new team and the competition is tough. But he’s an amazing driver and I’m sure, when things start to click, as they did in China, we’ll see more of that magic.”
Hamilton’s poor results have been exacerbated by some Ferrari operational errors and a general lack of pace in their car. Leclerc, who has been involved with the Italian team for many years, has only seven points more than Hamilton’s total of 25 heading into this weekend’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
The British team member displays composure as media discusses “crisis” within F1’s most renowned car consortium. To expect such performance is logical since Ferrari represents the most successful Formula 1 team ever and possesses an unmatched legacy.
The public continues to generate additional articles and create various viewpoints regarding this matter. The team has faced its challenges but they do not seem to phase him. According to my experience working with such teams requires time for permanent transformation to take effect.
Team principal Frederic Vasseur recognized that both Ferrari and Hamilton need to make progress during his evaluation of the driver’s Ferrari start. It takes more than two weeks or two races to establish the relationship Ferrari had with the driver for 12 years. The team requires better performance but I believe this stands true for each staff member participating in the paddock.
Hamilton views working with Vasseur positively because he understands his need to adapt to the car while making improvements himself. We will modify the car to better suit Lewis Hamilton as he simultaneously makes adjustments to adapt to the vehicle. Him and I constructively work together optimally.
