George Russell made Hamilton feelings clear at Monaco after Ferrari switch
George Russell and Lewis Hamilton will race against one another at the Monaco GP on Sunday, but it wasn't too long ago that the two Englishmen were team-mates at Mercedes
George Russell said that his relationship with Lewis Hamilton didn't change after the seven-time Formula 1 champion announced his move to Ferrari. The two shared one last run with one another at Mercedes in 2024, but when Hamilton broke the news in the February that he was headed to the Prancing Horse for 2025, speculation sparked regarding intra-team dynamics.
When asked by GPblog on whether the announcement affected their camaraderie, Russell said: "No, not at all. The relationship's good."
However, Hamilton felt sidelined by the team, perceiving favouritism towards Russell as the younger driver received Mercedes' only front wing upgrade at last year's Monaco GP. Speaking about the impact of the upgrade, Hamilton said: "I anticipated it would be difficult to out-qualify George because he has the upgraded component, but it's just great to see that we are bringing upgrades.
"But once we got to qualifying...I don't understand. I already know automatically that I'm going to lose two-tenths going into qualifying, and that's definitely frustrating and it's something that I don't really have an answer for at the moment.
"I'm not driving any different, the laps were really great, just lacking something. I don't anticipate being ahead of George in qualifying particularly this year, but we've just got to keep pushing, and the races are strong."
When probed for more details on why he felt that way, Hamilton replied: "We'll see." Toto Wolff, CEO of Mercedes Petronas, dismissed any notions of favouritism at the time, however.
He said: "Aren't all drivers a bit sceptical at times? As a team we have always demonstrated - even in the most tense competitions between team-mates - that we are always trying to balance what is right and be transparent and fair.
"I can understand as a driver you want the best out of yourself and the team, and sometimes when it is going against you you can question that. But as a team we are 100 per cent on a mission of giving both drivers the best possible cars and strategies. We are trying to do the best out of the relationship (with Hamilton), trying to maximise the results for what is our final season together.
"And that situation between drivers and teams can be tense at times because everybody wants to do the best." The story unfolds as Russell and Hamilton prepare to compete once again at the iconic Circuit de Monaco, this time as competitors rather than colleagues.
Russell has had an impressive run so far with Mercedes, teaming up with Kimi Antonelli and securing four podiums. He currently sits fourth in the F1 Championship standings, and close to eclipsing the 100-point barrier.
Meanwhile, Hamilton has had a challenging time delivering results at Ferrari - currently two spots below Russell in the standings without any victories or podium finishes. His top performance this season was a fourth-place finish at last week's Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.
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