Mika Häkkinen, a former Formula 1 driver and two-time world champion, believes that the arrival of George Russell to the Mercedes team and his early success is unnerving for Lewis Hamilton, who finds himself in an unusual situation.
Although Mercedes after three rounds of the season takes second place in the Constructors’ Championship, the W13 is still inferior in speed to both the Ferrari F1-75 and the Red Bull RB18. At the same time, a limited budget forces the team to spend money wisely, which may slow down the pace of finding solutions, and all this, according to Hakkinen, does not like Hamilton.
“Lewis is in a difficult position, that’s obvious,” says Mika. – Russell did not come to this team to be the No. 2 driver or to lose. He is here to show what he can do and work hard to win the title in the future. And he is not going to bow to the seven-time world champion.
The race in Australia was really difficult for Lewis. Naturally, the team wants both riders to reach the finish line, and the result they showed allowed them to earn a lot of points, although they were counting on more.
But I’m sure Lewis is still unhappy. He worries that George beat him to it. I’m afraid that Hamilton is waiting for a very difficult season. Mercedes has already found itself in a difficult situation, especially Lewis. George came from a team that could not boast of success, where he managed to show good results in qualifying, but not in races.
And when he successfully competes behind the wheel of a Mercedes, this is new to him, and George is really happy. But for Lewis, everything that happens is just a disaster. What’s worse is that George is ahead of him.
And I wonder how Lewis behaves in team meetings. I bet he’s angry. I can imagine him complaining and grumbling.”
Since Mercedes is unlikely to be able to quickly find a solution to problems with the car that will turn the tide, and the team will be able to really resist Ferrari and Red Bull, Häkkinen suggested that Hamilton is already thinking about leaving the team, because his contract expires at the end of 2023.
“This is where the natural process begins when the rider asks himself: “Maybe it’s time to go somewhere?” Hakkinen says. – It is a fact. Hamilton has been with Mercedes for many years and has won many championships. But now, when things are not going well, he will start thinking about changing the team.”