Formula 1: George Russell rubbishes claims of rift with teammate Lewis Hamilton: Mercedes driver George Russell has rubbished rumours of an alleged rift with Lewis Hamilton in terms of who finishes ahead on the track. Follow Imola GP Live Updates on InsideSport.IN.
George Russell currently has more points than Lewis Hamilton despite being in his debut season with Mercedes, and some feel that it might have caused a rift between the two drivers. Russel, however, has rubbished all such claims by saying “There’s no hard feelings if he’s ahead of me. There’s no hard feelings if I’m ahead of him. And we’re not too concerned about that at the moment. I think these things, in the scheme of things, don’t mean a lot really.”
Formula 1: George Russell rubbishes claims of RIFT with Lewis Hamilton, says ‘there are no HARD FEELINGS between us’
“Obviously, everybody wants to finish ahead of their teammate. But Lewis and I have no interest in battling it out for P5 or P6. We want to work together to claw that gap back,” he further explained.
Hamilton claimed his first podium of the 2022 campaign at the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix, while Russell finished the race only behind in fourth. However, in the ensuing two Grands Prix in Saudi Arabia and Australia, it has all about Russell.
The Briton claimed P5 in Jeddah, with Hamilton back in P10 following a difficult qualifying session. Russell then took his first podium with the Silver Arrows in Melbourne, while Hamilton finished the event in fourth.
Formula 1: George Russell rubbishes claims of RIFT with Lewis Hamilton, says ‘there are no HARD FEELINGS between us’
Russell, however, has claimed that Mercedes is not at all worried about which driver gets the most points as long as the team does well, which was not the case when he was driving for Williams.
“Previously, in my first couple of years in F1, that teammate battle was everything because we weren’t really fighting for points, we weren’t fighting for much. That was the only satisfaction you could get, your results based on your teammate,” Russell elaborated.
Formula 1: George Russell rubbishes claims of RIFT with Lewis Hamilton, says ‘there are no HARD FEELINGS between us’
