Hamilton and Russell teammates from 2022: "I don't see it going wrong"

Damon Hill thinks George Russell will learn the ropes at Mercedes next year. The former F1 driver expects Lewis Hamilton to be willing to pass on his experience and skills to his still only 23-year old fellow countryman. Hill is looking forward to seeing how the partnership with the German team develops.

"I think it's going to be great to watch. I'm sure Lewis will want to cheer George on. I can't see it going wrong," Hill told Express Sport. The 1996 world champion expects Hamilton to recognise that Russell really needs to become his successor at Mercedes and start performing well on Britain's behalf in the premier class of motor racing. "So he will want to do his bit to give him a helping hand - even though he probably doesn't need it".

Russell's approach

The Formula One analyst thinks that Russell's approach in particular is going to be decisive in his success. Hill advises Russell to work primarily with Hamilton rather than with the idea of racing against the seven-time world champion. "You can go into these situations and think, 'OK, that's the enemy there and I'm out to upset them'. That might not be the wisest thing to do with Lewis, I think."

Hill is keen to see both Hamilton and Russell work together and duel. The latter deserved promotion to Mercedes after three years at Williams and a strong 2021 in which he finished second in the Belgian Grand Prix and finished in the top ten on several occasions in a car that was not all that competitive.

Marc Priestley said earlier that he thinks Hamilton might also learn from his new teammate. On certain days Russell could push Hamilton to the limit according to the British analyst.