Russell better than Hamilton: 'Could be changes in hierarchy'

It is the talk of the day: Lewis Hamilton being faster than newcomer George Russell. The seven-time world champion is struggling in 2022 and that became clear again during the weekend at Imola. Ralf Schumacher thinks that Hamilton has to admit that his young teammate is the better driver at the moment.

In his column for the German branch of Sky, the former racer comments on what is going on at Mercedes."We also have to talk about Lewis Hamilton, of course. He has to ask himself why George Russell is so much faster than him. A thirteenth place finish is obviously not Hamilton's ambition. He has to admit that Russell is the better driver at the moment."

Schumacher does not rule out the possibility that if the current situation continues for longer, the relationships in the team will change. "If this continues in the coming weeks, it will also become tense in the team. There may be changes in the hierarchy." At the same time, the German does argue that respect is in order for Hamilton. "I am absolutely not saying that Lewis has missed the boat to end his career. Lewis is still one of the best drivers in the field. That's obvious."

Russell adapts

What is possibly in Russell's favor is that he is new to Mercedes and therefore does not really have a reference compared to previous seasons. The young Brit knows how to drive around problems pretty well, while teammate Hamilton is used to nothing more than a car that is immensely fast from the first moment.