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Lewis Hamilton was nothing short of a childhood 'superhero' to his new teammate George Russell, the new Mercedes driver has confessed.
During the digital launch of the Mercedes AMG F1 W13 E Performance, the 24-year-old was asked what it meant for him to become Hamilton's teammate at the Silver Arrows. Russell said:
“It’s definitely surreal and I think we have all seen the photo of Lewis [Hamilton] and I when I was 10 years old. I think we have both changed quite a lot since then and it’s incredible to see. Obviously, I was a young kid aspiring to reach Formula 1 and Lewis was, obviously, world champion at the time and Lewis was a superhero to me you know.”
As a child, Russell didn't believe the 37-year-old was 'human'. The former Williams driver views his chances of racing alongside the seven-time world champion as a 'real privilege'. He added:
“You see these incredible people and you don’t think they are human. And obviously now growing up, having the opportunity to race alongside Lewis is a real privilege for me because I’ve got such a great opportunity to learn and see how the best does it.”
George Russell will be a bigger challenge for Lewis Hamilton in 2022, claims Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko
Red Bull advisor Dr. Helmut Marko believes Lewis Hamilton could face a stern challenge from his new teammate George Russell. The Briton moved to Mercedes to replace the departing Valtteri Bottas after three seasons with Williams.
During an interview with Auto Motor und Sport at the end of the 2021 season, Marko spoke about Mercedes' new driver pairing and what it could mean for Hamilton. He said:
“[George] Russell will certainly be a bigger challenge for [Lewis] Hamilton. Just rhetorically and politically, because he’s also English.”
The Austrian also highlighted Russell's reputation for being rapid on Saturdays. He feels the young Briton needs to replicate that pace on race days as well. Marko added:
“He is an incredibly fast driver in qualifying. In the race, however, the gap to [Nicholas] Latifi was no longer so great. Russell has to prove himself first.”
Meanwhile, Russell has signed a massive new contract worth $6.76 million in his move to the Silver Arrows.
