Russell is still too raw to be Mercedes leader, who need Hamilton to stay

George Russell’s form during the last three Grand Prix weekends has slipped. He has shown that he is still a little bit wet behind the ears, and therefore Mercedes still need Lewis Hamilton at the helm for another two years at least. The British driver has bags of potential and talks like a future World Champion. But there are still steps to be taken.

Slipping form

Russell has barely put a foot wrong during his F1 career so far. The 25-year-old has been mature, confident and extremely detailed in his feedback. Most importantly, he’s been quick. So much so that during his time together with Hamilton, Russell is the driver with the solitary win, pole position and sprint race victory.

Russell even finished ahead of the seven-time World Champion in the standings last season with a 35-point advantage. Promising signs for himself and the future of the Mercedes team. The last three race weekends have demonstrated that there are still some chinks in his armour that need ironing out before he takes the next step.

First, Monaco. Hamilton out-qualified Russell and started P8, which is usually a bit of an issue. But the British driver himself admitted that he should’ve been on the podium because he was given a key chance. Esteban Ocon had a slow pitstop and Ferrari were slow to put the intermediates on Carlos Sainz’s car. But on lap 55, Russell ended up down the Mirabeau escape road. On the way out, he hit Sergio Perez and was slapped with a five-second penalty.

In explaining the incident after the race to Sky Sports, Russell said: “That was a lesson to me. Sometimes when you’re not fully on it and fully focused, that’s when mistakes happen.” Why he wasn’t entirely focused remains a mystery, but it has continued.

Equipped with new upgrades [for the first time in a measurable situation], Russell missed out on Q3. It was undoubtedly a strong circuit for the Mercedes car. Russell pointed out that the car bounced during the corners, and the tyres weren’t in the right window. But you’d expect him to get further up the grid. All the heat and questions were directed at Perez for his mistake, but Russell deserved a fair share of the attention.

Russell made up for his poor Saturday result during the Spanish Grand Prix. He got a good start to climb up several places. By the end of the first lap, he was in P7 after starting in P12. He started behind Perez but got ahead of him in the race. A fine Sunday performance, and it felt like the Russell we knew was back.

On Saturday in Canada, Russell got plenty out of the Mercedes. He recorded a time around two-tenths slower than Hamilton, but he and the team were pleased with P5. During the race, he collided with the wall and damaged the car. It can happen to anyone; even Max Verstappen had a sweaty moment towards the end of the race at the same place. But it can be summarised as sloppy. Russell will be the first to admit that.

Taking the reigns

Mercedes have made their intentions clear. Russell is their ‘next’ Lewis Hamilton. Their next leader for probably the next decade, perhaps even more. His five seasons in Formula 1 have all been building up to it, and arguably the five years before that. Whereas someone like Charles Leclerc has struggled to take the bull by the horns with various silly mistakes, Russell has been on the right track.

Some even place Russell as the better driver already when compared with Hamilton. Until yesterday, fans highlighted the Australian Grand Prix DNF as to why Russell was behind Hamilton in the standings. But even if Russell finished that race, Hamilton was still getting on the podium, and the difference in the standings would’ve been minimal. Their qualifying duel remains locked at four each.

Whereas Leclerc’s potential leadership is being questioned, Russell remains the solid option for Mercedes. But the recent mistakes have proved that he’s still a little wet behind the ears and has some way to go before he’s ready to take the reigns at Mercedes. We don’t see Verstappen, Hamilton or Fernando Alonso making those mistakes.