Russell reveals side of Hamilton that proves inspiring

Hamilton and Russell in Miami — Photo: © LAT Images

Spanish Grand Prix

Russell reveals side of Hamilton that proves inspiring

Mercedes has faced an uphill battle this season

Sam Hall

Sunday 22 May 2022 05:00

George Russell has described the relentlessness nature ingrained in Mercedes by Lewis Hamilton and team principal Toto Wolff as inspiring.

Mercedes has struggled for pace compared to championship leaders Ferrari and Red Bull so far but has made a step forward with its upgrade package in Spain.

Asked as to the qualities he has seen in his seven-time champion team-mate, Russell said: "It's been inspiring to see how Lewis works and gets the most out of the whole team.

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"And I think that's been one of the big things I've seen with joining Mercedes, seeing how Lewis does things, how Toto does things, the culture that is ingrained within everybody.

"It’s sort of relentless. They're always striving for more, never being complacent and seeing how everybody's pulling together at the moment to try and resolve these issues we're facing.

"As I said, it inspires and it's also motivating for myself as well because you learn how the best in the business do it and you need to continuously push yourself for more.

"So I think I'm in a really privileged position to be team-mates with Lewis and be part of Mercedes."

Hamilton to judge Mercedes progress

F1 completed its first pre-season running this year in Barcelona, with the Spanish GP providing the teams with the opportunity to get a measure of progress made.

Mercedes has at least taken a step forward, with Russell qualifying a season-high fourth and Hamilton sixth, with the W13 now a more stable car compared to the high level of porpoising previously experienced under the new aerodynamic rules.

"It's a great test track here in Barcelona and it was [here] the first time we drove the car," explained Hamilton.

"We have the data from that and we can remember the feeling that we had during that time as well so…

"We did have bouncing back then also but it'd be interesting to see the parallels and just see how much we’ve progressed since then."