Miami Grand Prix
Venue: Miami Worldwide Autodrome Dates: 2-4 Could Race begin: 21:00 BST on Sunday
Protection: Stay commentary of apply and qualifying on-line and BBC Radio 5 Sports activities Additional; race on BBC Radio 5 Stay and stay textual content updates on BBC Sport web site and app
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George Russell says it’s “not good” to see Lewis Hamilton struggling following his transfer to Ferrari.
The 40-year-old has had a troublesome begin to the season together with his new group, regardless of successful the dash race on the Chinese language Grand Prix in March, and has usually lagged behind team-mate Charles Leclerc.
Russell, who partnered Hamilton for 3 years at Mercedes from 2022-24, mentioned he understood the seven-time champion’s downcast temper in latest races.
“He is a champion, he is a winner, and he is able the place he cannot obtain that,” Russell mentioned. “And it isn’t straightforward to just accept. If he was beaming with an enormous smile, you would be questioning why he is beaming with an enormous smile.
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“I’ve obtained quite a lot of respect for him and I like him personally. It isn’t good to see anyone who’s not having fun with it.
“However why ought to he be having fun with it? As a result of for him it isn’t concerning the cash, it is concerning the outcomes. And it isn’t clicking for him in the mean time, however I am positive it’s going to click on at one level.”
Hamilton mentioned on the final race in Saudi Arabia – the place he completed seventh, 31 seconds behind third-placed Leclerc –
He’s two locations and 16 factors behind Leclerc within the championship.
However Russell mentioned that critics of the time it’s taking Hamilton to adapt to Ferrari have been “underestimating how troublesome Method 1 is”.
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“Generally you’ll be able to simply bounce in and it clicks, and it is simple,” Russell mentioned. “Different instances, it does not click on.
“The second seat at Pink Bull (alongside Max Verstappen), why has that by no means labored out? It is as a result of Method 1’s bloody troublesome.
“You realize, you are going up in opposition to the very best drivers on the planet and Charles is among the finest on the planet, in a group that he is been for his entire profession, in a automotive that he is aware of precisely the best way to get essentially the most out of.”
Russell additionally mentioned that the standard of Leclerc’s driving this season shouldn’t be underestimated in any evaluation of Hamilton.
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“Charles has additionally gone a bit underneath the radar this yr,” Russell mentioned. “He is having an immense season. He had a robust race in China with a damaged entrance wing. He had a super-strong race in Bahrain and arguably the protection automotive stopped him from beating me. He may have had three podiums this season.
“Charles has been doing a mega job and also you’d even be questioning Charles if a driver is available in and is on his tempo right away.”
Russell added that Hamilton getting again to his finest was “all psychology – it isn’t about working more durable. It is about your psychological state. For those who’re not completely happy, it is troublesome to drive fast as properly.”
Hamilton’s struggles have led some to query whether or not he’s previous his finest.
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He struggled in opposition to Russell in qualifying final yr, too, shedding the head-to-head battle 19 instances to 5 at a mean benefit over the season of 0.171 seconds. They gained two races every and Russell completed a spot and 22 factors forward within the championship.
Of their first two seasons collectively, the pair have been separated by mere hundredths of a second on common in qualifying, Russell ending forward within the championship in 2022 and Hamilton in 2023.
Russell mentioned he was not capable of touch upon whether or not Hamilton was nonetheless at his peak, however did distinction his present state of affairs with that in his pomp at Mercedes, when he gained six titles in seven years from 2014-20.
“While you’ve obtained a automotive beneath you that is so good, you do not have as a lot stress,” Russell mentioned. “You possibly can afford to drive at 98% in every single place and nonetheless win the race.
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“And if you happen to’re not being challenged by the man within the storage, in your individual storage, every part’s simply coming straightforward. You solely see these errors creeping when there is a little more stress from inside or the circumstances change.”
Arriving at this weekend’s Miami Grand Prix, Hamilton drew parallels together with his first season with Mercedes again in 2013, after six years with McLaren.
“After I joined Mercedes, the primary six months have been robust getting attuned to working with new folks,” he mentioned.
“Clearly, the engineers I am working with now are used to organising a automotive for a special driver and a special driving type, and I am used to driving a automotive with a special driving type. So it is a mixture of a bunch of various issues.”
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