"There will be times when George beats me" - Lewis Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton will face arguably his biggest challenge at Mercedes next year as George Russell replaces Valtteri Bottas at the Silver Arrows. The seven-time world champion, currently contesting a record eighth title, will partner the young Brit in what has the potential to be the best driver lineup on the grid next year.

Russell has been touted as a potential future world champion. Going up against a legend of the sport such as Hamilton, some feathers will surely be ruffled along the way, and the relationship turning sour between the two drivers is entirely plausible.

Commenting on his future relationship with Russell, Lewis Hamilton told Channel 4:

“George, I imagine, is going to be similar to me when I got to Formula 1. He’s going to be hungry, he’s got everything to gain and nothing to lose, (he'll) throw everything and the kitchen sink at it. That’s what I would expect, he will get amazing support from our engineers, he’s got an amazing amount of support to be welcomed in, and we will try to work as team-mates."

Hamilton is cognizant of the fact that a hungry young Russell could beat him to the punch on more than one occasion in 2022. He said:

“There is respect there, but I know he is going to win races. I know he is going to be fast. I’m sure (that) if we've got the package, he will do a great job. There will be times where he is at the front and I’m okay with that. I’ll just work harder to make sure that it doesn’t happen.”

Potential fireworks between Lewis Hamilton and George Russell?

The Lewis Hamilton-George Russell partnership has all the makings of going down the route of what transpired between Hamilton and Fernando Alonso at McLaren. The Brit matched the Spaniard's pace from the outset of their partnership and eventually led to McLaren and Alonso parting ways. Meanwhile, the team failed to win the title despite having a competitive car at its disposal.

The exciting pair-up leads to plenty of questions: What if Russell starts beating Lewis Hamilton from the very first race itself? Will the seven-time champion's presently calm demeanor begin to show cracks?

More importantly, who will Mercedes side with? Hamilton, who has won them multiple titles but is at the sunset of his career, or Russell - a potential future champion? It will be interesting to see which direction this rivalry goes.