Lewis Hamilton says relationship with George Russell ‘will not be a problem’ for Mercedes in 2023

George Russell took his first F1 win at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix as Mercedes scored a one-two at Interlagos; Silver Arrows’ improved late-season form has raised hopes they can challenge Red Bull for the 2023 drivers’ and constructors’ championships

Lewis Hamilton says he is confident he and team-mate George Russell will be able to maintain a strong partnership next season, even if Mercedes are back in the title race.

Russell, 24, has impressed in his debut season with Mercedes, taking his first Grand Prix victory – and the team’s first of the 2022 season – in Sao Paulo on Sunday to move 25 points ahead of seven-time world champion Hamilton in the world championship with just the season finale in Abu Dhabi remaining .

But the fact that Mercedes have rarely contested race wins and have spent much of the campaign closing the gap on constructors’ champions Red Bull has ensured a lack of excitement and avoidance of controversial situations for team principal Toto Wolff to deal with.

“I’m a lot older and I’ve been with the team so long,” Hamilton said before finishing second to Russell in Brazil.

“So dealing with whatever challenges we come up with going forward, we’ve been through so much that I don’t think it’s going to be a problem.”

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An emotional George Russell says he drove the race of his life to win his first ever Formula 1 Grand Prix.

Hamilton also said that Russell’s debut campaign with the team has been “impressive”, but that it was “super easy” for him to blend in having long been part of the Mercedes set-up, even during his three seasons with Williams.

If he does not win in Abu Dhabi, Hamilton will end a season without a win for the first time in his F1 career.

“I’ve seen what he did at Williams,” Hamilton said. “I think of course you have to say it’s impressive what he’s done this year, the consistency he’s had, the way he’s come and just hit the ground running.

“It’s not like he came into a whole new team. The last few years he’s been sitting right behind me watching the work that I’ve done with the engineers, with Ricky (as), who is now his number one.

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Lewis Hamilton brilliantly recovered from a collision with Max Verstappen to secure a Mercedes one-two at the Sao Paulo GP!

“It’s been super easy to blend in. He’s using my wheel, and he obviously has to do the test days before the year, so I think he’s just blended in perfectly and he’s been a positive force in the team.

“He’s helped keep the balance in the team, in terms of the working relationship I think it’s strong.”

Russell on Merc learning process | Wolff: They’re both alphas

Russell, who also won the sprint at Interlagos on Saturday, remains confident that he still has plenty of room for improvement.

The former F2 champion says he spent the early stages of the 2022 season adjusting to the relative scale of Mercedes’ operations.

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Sky F1’s Johnny Herbert believes George Russell’s victory at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix could signal the “changing of the guard” at Mercedes.

“In some ways I’ve felt like a bit of a rookie this year because the level at which this team operates is a level I’ve never experienced before, and I’m talking about things I’ve never even heard of in F1 before, Russell said.

“It took me some time to learn and understand how to get the most out of the team, out of the car.

“The talent within this team is huge and the potential is huge, and learning to use all the resources at our disposal to deliver more performance is a lot more than I’ve ever been used to and it took me a while I wrap my head around it.”

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Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff hailed the team’s 1-2 finish with George Russell taking his first win and Lewis Hamilton coming home in second.

After his team’s one-two in Sao Paulo, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff insisted he is delighted at the prospect of having two race drivers competing for wins, as opposed to having a “puppy” in the team.

“They are both alpha drivers and this is good,” Wolff said.

“We don’t want a puppy in the car. We can handle that as best we can.”

Knapp: Mercedes teammates ‘very respectful’

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Speaking on ‘Any Driven Monday’, Jenson Button gave his view on the Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez dispute and feels that Red Bull’s possible lack of communication within the team may have put them in this position.

Former F1 champion Jenson Button believes a mutual respect has made Russell and Hamilton an ideal pairing at Mercedes.

“I think Lewis obviously doesn’t want George to beat him because Lewis wants to win every race as a racing driver,” Button said on Any Driven Monday.

“But for Lewis, five years earlier, if George came into the team we would see a different Lewis Hamilton in terms of his view of his team-mate and opinions about him.

“Lewis is such a rounded character now in terms of the way he competes. He’s had so much success in the sport, and yeah, he probably won’t be competing for that many years so he’s probably thinking ‘this guy is basically as good as it goes for people in their 20’s right now, I’m in my late 30’s and can still fight him or beat him.

“I think Lewis is very comfortable in himself, I think it’s a really good pair of drivers.

“They’re both very respectful and that’s the first thing you need, to be respectful and to speak the truth about schemes, to be open with your opinions and that’s the only way they’re going to work together and build as a team.”