3 reasons why Lewis Hamilton MUST BEAT George Russell in the 2023 F1 season

Lewis Hamilton did not have a great 2022 F1 season. The Mercedes driver could not score even a single win or a podium all season and even ended up getting outscored by teammate George Russell. Now, fortunately for him, the Mercedes driver has not faced the kind of heat that other F1 legends like Sebastian Vettel did when he lost to a young Charles Leclerc.

On the contrary, many have put down the 2022 F1 season as a result of Lewis Hamilton suffering from a drop in motivation at the start of the season. It ultimately led to him having a major deficit in the championship standings, which he could not overcome.

Having said that, the loss in the 2022 F1 season would obviously not have been a pleasant feeling for the driver. More importantly, for someone who prides himself on excellence, the 2022 season was not the best showcase for his skills. Having said that, 2023 is a new year for Lewis and Mercedes. However, this time around, Lewis Hamilton must beat George Russell in the championship standings.

Lewis Hamilton has already lost to him once

Let's give credit where credit's due, George Russell beat Lewis Hamilton fair and square last season. In his first season with Mercedes, he overcame whatever little issues needed to be overcome and he delivered strong results every weekend. Was Lewis unlucky at times? Was he demotivated? Sure, an argument could be made for either of those scenarios.

However, none of this is Russell's fault! He went into his first season at Mercedes and beat the seven-time world champion. For Lewis, the 2023 F1 season has to be about redemption on that front as well. Even if somehow the German brand is unable to produce a car capable of challenging for the title. Even then, he needs to make sure he beats his teammate.

If he doesn't, it won't take much time for the team to start leaning toward a younger driver. The narrative of the older driver losing to the younger driver twice does not bode well and more often than not, it leads to the team favoring the driver that could be the future of the team.

He's on the verge of signing a multi-year deal

This season, one of the more important decisions Lewis has to make is regarding his future. The Mercedes driver is in negotiations for a contract extension. According to rumors, the contract extension will be for two more years by the looks of it. Now, if Lewis does end up losing to Russell again, the dynamics within the team will change.

On one side we have Lewis, a megastar who has been dominant with the team, and on the other side we have George, a hungry young talent who has not only been competitive but has also beaten his senior teammate twice. In the 15-year career that started in 2007, more often than not, Lewis has had friction with teammates that have been either competitive or have beaten him in the championship.

His partnership with Fernando Alonso is notorious for how a team should not manage its drivers, his relationship with Jenson Button was not the best, and everyone remembers what happened with Nico Rosberg. If this partnership with Russell goes in the same direction, then it would be hard to see how the multi-year partnership with Mercedes unravels. Especially if George Russell beats Lewis Hamilton this season.

The question of legacy

Finally, the most important question in all of this is the question of legacy. There was a time at the end of the 2020 F1 season when Lewis Hamilton was considered the GOAT. Since then, he has lost to his young teammate in 2022, he's lost a close title fight in 2021 and most importantly, he's not looked like the best driver on the grid in the last two seasons.

Most importantly, the points that were pointed out by his critics as some of his major shortcomings have been laid bare. The Mercedes driver lost the title the first time he faced competition from a worthy challenger. As soon as he had a competitive teammate, he was outscored.

Lest we forget, this is not the first time Lewis Hamilton was beaten by his teammates. The last two times happened with Jenson Button and Nico Rosberg. The constant criticism against Lewis and his legacy is him losing whenever he's had competitive teammates. If he loses to George Russell the second time, that would be damning to his claim as the GOAT in F1. When it comes to legacy, Lewis Hamilton has to beat George Russell this season.