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Lewis Hamilton seems to have started on the right page with his young teammate George Russell. Speaking to the media, Lewis talked about how seamlessly Russell has been able to get on with the job and leverage his past experience of being a part of the team since 2017.
"George fits very easily into the team, we worked together previously in the engineering room in plenty of races in the past where he’s sat behind me and watched everything I did, same with Valtteri. He knew everyone, so it’s been seamless and we’re working together, communicating a lot in terms of setup direction so it’s working well."
The two British drivers are up against it as it seems that the new Mercedes challenger will take some time to unleash its potential. Lewis categorically ruled Mercedes out of contention for the win after the pre-season test but Mercedes are notorious for turning things around quickly.
The first race will reveal where the two drivers find themselves on the grid and how they approach the rest of the season.
Lewis Hamilton: Russell seems very genuine so far
Talking about the chemistry between the two drivers, there have been suggestions that Lewis Hamilton, the aging veteran, and Russell, the young charger, could have friction between them. Russell is touted to be the next Hamilton at Mercedes.
However, for now, according to Lewis Hamilton, things have been smooth between the two as both work towards bringing the car to the front.
“I just remember him being in the engineer’s room with us and feeling very much a part of the team and one of my teammates before this year. that’s why it’s been quite easy and I think George is naturally incredibly talented, very focused. So far he seems very genuine and focused on being the best team player he can be."
He added:
“So far that’s what I see and it’s pleasant for everyone in the team, it seems very seamless and we’re just keeping our heads down, working collectively as a team and as a unit.”
This is one battle that is going to be quite interesting throughout the season because there is a high probability that these two drivers could be fighting for the same piece of track in the future.
