Ralf Schumacher points out the difference in caliber between George Russell and Valtteri Bottas
Ralf Schumacher
Sky Expert and former Williams driver Ralf Schumacher feels that George Russell is a completely ‘different caliber’ of driver and teammate for Lewis Hamilton when compared to Valtteri Bottas.
Mercedes have struggled to keep up with Ferrari and Red Bull this season and currently sit third and 56 points behind Red Bull, but George Russell has impressed at the helm of the Silver Arrows and is currently sitting at 4th in the driver standings, with 59 points. Russell is also the only driver to have finished in the top 5 this season, along with being the only one to complete all laps yet.
Compared to the 24-year-old, and contrary to what people would have expected, Lewis Hamilton sits 23 points behind at 6th in the standings. As such, Ralf Schumacher feels that Russell currently sits ahead in terms of performance in comparison to his veteran teammate.
One of the biggest talking points of Russell’s promotion to Mercedes was that he would pose more of a challenge to Hamilton than Valtteri Bottas, who sometimes appeared content with being the ‘second’ driver. And sure enough, Russell has impressed right out of the door.
Talking to Motorsport, Ralf Schumacher stated that: “Russell is now a different caliber for Lewis [Hamilton] than Bottas was and, above all, he is a constant caliber.” pointing to his consistent driving performance during the current season.
Ralf Schumacher: Russell a ‘little bit better’ in Miami [than Hamilton]
“He’s also someone who picks people up – just like Hamilton. He makes a likable and very chummy impression in the team.”
He further added that: “[George Russell] digs a little bit of the water out of Lewis in every respect. He can just handle it better and that bothers Lewis, I’m pretty sure.”
Schumacher also said: “That’s clear, he’s an egoist, like all of us were as racing drivers, and I was too, I admit that. In any case, I have to say, it will bother him. One hundred percent!”
Despite Hamilton’s struggles with the car, sometimes luck has also abandoned the 7-time world champion. Mercedes failed to bring him in for a pitstop during a safety car period in the race, while Russell [who had not pitted before] was able to come in and change his tires during it.
Russell, who started 12th, had mentioned changing tires during a late safety car period on the radio, and sure enough, the virtual safety car came out on lap 41, after Lando Norris and Pierre Gasly collided. Ralf Schumacher mentioned this and stated that Russell was ‘lucky’ with the safety car period, but in his opinion, Russell was still slightly better than Lewis Hamilton.
Ralf Schumacher won 6 races, achieved 27 podiums, and scored 329 points during his Formula 1 career. He and 7-time world champion Michael Schumacher are the only siblings to both win a Formula 1 Race.
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