F1 News

Tension between George Russell and Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes

Russell responds sharply when asked about his relationship with Hamilton

27 May at 19:00
1
  • Toby Nixon

George Russell and Lewis Hamilton finished fifth and seventh in Monte-Carlo. Mercedes is hoping to continue their charge back to the front of the field with a newfound understanding of the W15s balance. Toto Wolff believes that the Silver Arrows are continuing to 'chip away' at those around them, but away from the track, it's thought that the relationship between Mercedes' British star drivers is on the rocks. Both drivers responded to these rumours in the paddock after the Monaco Grand Prix.

What's happening at Mercedes?

After being outqualified by Russell for the seventh time this year, Hamilton was clearly frustrated, stating that he was not sure whether he would be able to outqualify his teammate at all in 2024. Are Mercedes favouring Russell as Hamilton will be driving for Ferrari next year?

When asked what the drop-off to his teammate was, Hamilton said: "I don't know. I think ultimately I just try and give my all every weekend and push and give everything for this team and I'm so happy to see the team bringing upgrades. George's one was a positive as well so I'll get that next week and hopefully over the next few races we have some more and we can just continue to push and close that gap."

Russell's sharp response

George Russell said that the relationship dynamic between the two hasn't faltered. The Brit sharply told GPblog and others in the paddock, "No, not at all. The relationship's good."

Both will need to work together to close the gap to the top teams. Mercedes currently sits on 96 points, 88 points behind third-place McLaren, one of their customer teams.