Russell makes a striking statement about Hamilton's Mercedes exit: 'no way'

"I don’t think he would have left if the team was performing like this. No way he would have left, for sure not," Russell told Reuters. "For 2026 the PU’s looking really strong and everything we’re doing with the fuels is looking great and there’s a lot of optimism for us over the next couple of years," explained Russell. Ferrari has suffered from a difficult string of races. The Italian team will be looking for a much-needed bounce back in Hungary.

'You want to be in the fastest car and it doesn't matter what colour it is'

"I think everybody wants change at some point, He’s been here 12 years now, and he’s achieved so much with the team. I think for him it’s exciting to have that change. But of course, if the team you’re currently with is winning races and everything is looking super-great for the future, you just want to be in the fastest car possible and it doesn’t matter what colour that is. We’ve led the last four races at various points, and we’ve been without a doubt the quickest in qualifying and the race in two of those four races. It’s really exciting. It’s come at a great time for us," Russell said, who is feeling much more confident that Mercedes can continue to challenge for race victories. 

"It just kind of feels like it’s clicking now. I don’t think there’s ever been more than a tenth or two splitting the two of us and that gives me a lot of confidence," he said. "In a different era, I know I’d have been fighting for world championships. Now I hope this is our time to come, from now onwards." The Brit concluded. It is yet to be announced who will be replacing Hamilton at Mercedes, but whoever it is will be inheriting a highly competitive spot on the grid. It remains to be seen whether or not Hamilton's decision will come back to bite him.