The “Mighty” Lewis Hamilton will bounce back against George Russell, reckons former F1 driver

David Coulthard is convinced that Lewis Hamilton will soon show his true pace against teammate George Russell.

The “Mighty” Lewis Hamilton will bounce back against George Russell, reckons former F1 driver

Lewis Hamilton, George Russell

Lewis Hamilton and George Russell form the driver lineup for the Mercedes F1 Team. Russell became a part of the Silver Arrows in 2022 and many expected the 25-year-old to struggle against Hamilton. But, the 7-time world champion has been on the back foot when it comes to battling his younger teammate. However, former F1 driver David Coulthard believes that Hamilton will bounce back.

Coulthard believes that the main reason Lewis Hamilton is struggling against Russell is because the 25-year-old is driving the best car in his F1 career. Meanwhile, Hamilton is driving one of the less competitive cars ever. George joined Mercedes after spending three years in the back of the field with Williams whereas Lewis has consistently raced at the front with the Silver Arrows.

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The Former McLaren driver highlighted that the 7-time champion is simply not comfortable with the car. David reckons that Hamilton is still trying to push as much as he can. He explained, “His mind is in a different place, the car isn’t talking to him, playing to his strengths and you can see he is fighting it out there, it’s just not stable.”

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Subsequently, David Coulthard believed that Russell and Hamilton are in different stages of their careers. Lewis might not be able to show his true colors until Mercedes improve. He continued, “So you have two drivers at different phases of their careers. The mighty Lewis is still in there, it just won’t really show itself until the Mercedes is as mighty as it once was.”

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Lewis Hamilton has “baggage” over his future in F1

Hamilton on the Australian GP podium, image via flashscore.co.uk
Hamilton on the Australian GP podium, image via flashscore.co.uk

Moreover, the 52-year-old stated that George Russell did not have the same dilemma as Hamilton. The 38-year-old continues to speculate over his long-term career in F1. This added pressure affects the 7-time world champion as he has to consider the possibilities in the long term. Whereas, Russell is set to stay at Brackley for the future.

Coulthard dismissed speculation about Hamilton not being in his prime anymore. The 52-year-old is confident that Lewis will indeed prove his mettle in the time to come. He concluded, “That’s not to say Lewis isn’t doing a brilliant job, it just means that the car isn’t talking to him right now and when it does, expect him to be showing George why he won seven World Championships.”

Thus, David Coulthard is convinced that Lewis Hamilton still has what it takes for Formula 1. The 38-year-old might have failed to match teammate George Russell, but Hamilton cannot be written off by critics. Coulthard is adamant that Lewis will bounce back as soon as he gets his hands on a competitive car from Mercedes.

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