"Trying to cause friction at Mercedes" - Fan speculates Helmut Marko is pitting Lewis Hamilton and George Russell against each other

A fan on Twitter claimed that Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko was deliberately trying to create friction between Lewis Hamilton and George Russell at Mercedes. The fan believes Marko's comments might have a negative effect on Russell during his first season with the German team.

Read the tweet below:

The motorsports veteran isn't convinced by George Russell's pace despite his amazing performance at the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix. Russell stood in for Hamilton in a one-off race, giving fans and critics a taste of the young Briton's upcoming stint at Mercedes. The then-reserve driver showed incredible pace and racecraft in a car he had barely driven before. Certain unfortunate circumstances, however, led the driver to finish in P9 despite having led the pack for most of the race.

While acknowledging his sensational qualifying performances, Marko is not yet convinced of Russell's race pace. He said:

“Now let’s see what Mr. Russell will do at Mercedes and whether the praise he has received in advance is justified. I want to see that first. There’s no discussion in qualifying, he’s sensational there but if you look at his race speed, he wasn’t far ahead of [then Williams team-mate Nicholas] Latifi.”

Fans are worried that the Austrian exec is deliberately trying to cause harm to Lewis Hamilton and the team in 2022 by 'gaslighting' George Russell ahead of the new season.

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Mark Webber warns Lewis Hamilton of George Russell's pace

Former Red Bull driver Mark Webber claims George Russell may be challenging Lewis Hamilton very soon. The Australian believes Russell could follow in Hamilton's footsteps and challenge those at the top in the first season. The now seven-time world champion scored a podium in his debut race in F1, challenging teammate and two-time world champion Fernando Alonso a few days into his career.

Webber spoke of the 2022 Mercedes lineup, saying:

“Going up against Lewis will be extremely challenging. But George has almost 50 races under his belt now, so he’s ready for it. Lewis went straight to the front, which shows his caliber — only very special drivers can do that. Ninety-nine percent of the guys need a few races to get used to the idea of being up front.”

The Australian believes the biggest task Russell will face is the switch in mentality, as he will now be driving a car that is presumably capable of winning championships. Except on one occasion, the Briton has only driven his Williams F1 car, which severely lacked in pace when compared to Mercedes' and Red Bull's. Webber went on to say:

“George is ready for it, but it’s different than qualifying well in an underperforming car and doing well when there’s little pressure. George will know there will be a huge shift in intensity that comes with the expectation of qualifying for the front row every week and finishing every race in the top spots.”

With the season opener on March 18, fans will find out whether newly appointed Mercedes star George Russell can challenge the likes of seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton.