George Russell addresses the uncomfortable question about Lewis Hamilton's struggles at Ferrari

George Russell has admitted that it's not nice to see Lewis Hamilton struggle at Ferrari, as the 7x F1 champion is off to a poor start with the Italian team. Early last year, the Brit announced that he was moving on from Mercedes in pursuit of a new challenge.

The move meant that the most successful driver in F1 history would be teamed up with the most successful team. The combination, however, has had a rocky start to its journey. In the first five races, the only shining light has been the sprint segment of the Chinese GP, where Lewis Hamilton secured pole position and won.

Except for that mini-triumph, the F1 legend has been found wanting against teammate Charles Leclerc, with the gap seemingly getting bigger every race weekend. Addressing the situation Lewis Hamilton finds himself in, Russell remarked that it's never a good thing to see the driver struggle. He told BBCF1:

"He's a champion, he's a winner, and he's in a position where he can't achieve that. And it's not easy to accept. If he was beaming with a big smile, you'd be questioning why he's beaming with a big smile. I've got a lot of respect for him and I like him personally. It's not nice to see somebody who's not enjoying it."

He added:

"But why should he be enjoying it? Because for him it's not about the money, it's about the results. And it's not clicking for him at the moment, but I'm sure it will click at one point."

Lewis Hamilton going up against Charles Leclerc is not easy: George Russell

George Russell also pointed out that it's not easy to just jump into a new car and be competitive. Pointing out how at Red Bull we've seen drivers struggle against Max Verstappen, the Brit felt that it's not easy going up against a Charles Leclerc at Ferrari and being competitive from the first race. He said:

"Sometimes you can just jump in and it clicks, and it's straightforward. Other times, it doesn't click. The second seat at Red Bull (alongside Max Verstappen), why has that never worked out? It's because Formula 1's bloody difficult. You know, you're going up against the best drivers in the world and Charles is one of the best in the world, in a team that he's been for his whole career, in a car that he knows exactly how to get the most out of."

Lewis Hamilton has had a somewhat better run this time around in the sprint qualifying in Miami. Unlike the usual gap that extended to half a second, the driver was quite competitive against Leclerc and ended a couple of tenths behind.