Hill thinks Russell is in control of whether Hamilton will help him
General
- GPblog.com
Damon Hill is looking forward to how the partnership between Lewis Hamilton and George Russell will work out next season. Both drivers are vying to trump each other in the battle for the world title, but for that to happen the two Brits also need to work together. Hill sees that working out just fine.
In recent years, Valtteri Bottas was actually the perfect "wingman" for Hamilton. The Finn scored many podiums and thus prevented their World Championship rivals from winning many points. However, when it came down to it, Bottas was always the one to make way for Hamilton on the track. It is not for nothing that Hamilton refers to the driver who left for Alfa Romeo as the best teammate ever.
The question is going to be how Russell is going to deal with such situations. The 23-year-old driver knows his place, but is expected to be more competitive than Bottas. At least, the expectation is that Russell will want to take a serious shot at the World Championship right away. But how will Hamilton deal with a new teammate with this ambition?
Hill on Russell and Hamilton
Hill suspects when speaking to Motorsport.com that it is going to be great to follow how the countrymen will get along. The one-time World Champion doesn't think it will lead to confrontations. In fact, he expects Hamilton to support Russell whenever possible because he knows his own shelf life in the sport is shorter than Russell's.
According to Hill, however, a lot will depend on how Russell himself stands in the race. If Russell starts to see Hamillton as his enemy, it could be a difficult time, according to Hill.