Russell on Hamilton: 'We're at different stages of our career'

George Russell can look back on his season start at Mercedes with satisfaction. Despite the problems facing the German racing stable, he managed to secure second place in the world championship. Nevertheless, he knows what his place is within the team.

Last season at Williams, the British driver showed what he is capable of. Russell achieved a high level in 2021 and managed to drive in the points with his team several times. His switch to Mercedes in the autumn, therefore, came as no surprise at all.

The expectations at the start of the new racing year were high, but Russell didn't care. Where many expected that Lewis Hamilton would be better than his new teammate in the first season, nothing could be further from the truth. For the time being Russell has scored nine points more.

Russell is not yet the leader of Mercedes

However, Russell retains respect for Hamilton and points out that the seven-time world champion has performed more than him."We’re at just different stages of our career," Russell notes in a conversation with Sky Sports. "I’m the new kid within the team and I'm not going to go out there trying to be the leader of the team."