George Russell says he would like to have Max Verstappen as his teammate once GOAT Lewis Hamilton retires 

Lewis Hamilton has recently extended his Mercedes contract till 2025.

George Russell says he would like to have Max Verstappen as his teammate once GOAT Lewis Hamilton retires 

George Russell, Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton (Via IMAGO)

In 2022, George Russell debuted with the Mercedes F1 team as Lewis Hamilton’s, who he believes is the greatest driver ever in Formula 1, teammate. His move to Mercedes has aligned with a challenging period for the team and the seven-time world champion. Russell recently stated that following his fellow Englishman’s retirement, he would prefer Max Verstappen as his new teammate.

Max Verstappen has dominated F1 since he triumphed over Hamilton in the 2021 season. In 2023, he secured his 10th consecutive race win to make a new F1 record. He is on the brink of securing his third consecutive title. The Mercedes prodigy, who finished ahead of Hamilton in the 2022 Championship, now wants to prove himself against the next big name of the sport.

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In a recent interview, when asked about his choice of teammate if Lewis Hamilton were to retire. He explained that he would choose Verstappen because he wants to compete against the best. However, Russell clarified that he believes Lewis Hamilton is and continues to be the greatest driver of all time.

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“Somebody asked me before, ‘If Lewis wasn’t my teammate, who would I want it to be?’ and I said Max because when I joined Mercedes, Lewis was, and still is, the greatest driver of all time. So you want to put yourself against the best because I believe in myself, and I want to prove to myself and the people around me what I’m capable of,” said George Russell, as reported by RaceFans.net

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There is an alarming point difference between Lewis Hamilton and George Russell in 2023

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Former F1 world champion Jacques Villeneuve suggested that George Russell’s challenges in his second year at Mercedes, where he lags behind Hamilton, are common for young drivers in their second season with a top team. Hamilton currently is 57-point ahead of Russell in the Drivers’ Championship, with the seven-time World Champion consistently outperforming his younger teammate throughout this season.

Villeneuve expressed that the dynamics between Lewis Hamilton and George Russell at Mercedes are different. He suggested that Lewis Hamilton primarily aims to win races. In contrast, on the other hand, George Russell’s focus was to outperform and beat Lewis, leading to differences in their approaches to setting up the car.

“George moved from Williams to Mercedes, and Lewis was there.” “Lewis wants to win races… but George wants to beat Lewis. So it’s not the same approach in setting the car up,” said Jacques Villeneuve

Jacques Villeneuve believes that Hamilton will easily return to the front of the grid once he has a competitive car beneath him. He also believes Lewis Hamilton’s pursuit of an eighth World Championship is not in vain, especially with his two-year contract extension with Mercedes.

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