Russell has nothing to lose: "If you beat Hamilton you are a hero"

George Russell should especially not hold back from Lewis Hamilton if he comes to Mercedes in 2022. That is the opinion of Nico Rosberg and Jenson Button, both former teammates of Hamilton.

According to Button, it is especially important that Russell remains himself. "He needs to not be concerned with what Lewis is doing, but do his own thing and be himself," Button told Sky Sports. Hamilton was clearly the first man when he had Heikki Kovalainen as a teammate at McLaren, but Button didn't want to take on that role when he came to the team in 2010.

Russell must have the support of the team

"The first thing I said was, 'Is this Lewis's team or are we being treated equally?' For Lewis, it was strange that I came into his team and got equal treatment," says the Briton. Rosberg stresses that Russell needs to get the team behind him. "He needs to surround himself with good people and be a team player. Taking the boys out to dinner, things like that. People need to see that you care about them," Rosberg said. "Lewis didn't do that at the beginning because he was so fast, and he didn't think he needed to do more."

One thing they both agree on is that Russell should not hold back when it comes to a direct duel with Hamilton. "He has nothing to lose, nobody expects him to beat him. But if you do, you're the greatest hero ever," Rosberg said.