George Russell says ‘ridiculous’ stewards decision cost Lewis Hamilton a first Ferrari podium

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Lewis Hamilton hasn’t scored a podium in his first 22 race starts for Ferrari. That’s the longest run for any new driver in the team’s history.

Hamilton has finished fourth on four occasions, suggesting an element of misfortune. But the biggest problem on his side of the garage is execution.

He was rapid during the Emilia Romagna GP but had to fight back from 12th on the grid, and it looked like he had the pace to be on pole at Silverstone before a Q3 error left him fifth on the grid. There were also near-misses in Austria and the United States.

Charles Leclerc has scored seven podiums in the same car, so the SF-25 is clearly fast enough to be up there, for all its flaws. A year has now ticked by since Hamilton’s last top-three finish – a P2 in Las Vegas for Mercedes.

George Russell was ‘in shock’ over Mexico City GP start

Speaking to Sky Sports in Vegas, George Russell defended his former Mercedes teammate. Hamilton finished eighth in the Mexico City GP last month but Russell thinks he deserved a podium.

After qualifying a season-high third, Hamilton was involved in a melee at turn one as Leclerc and Max Verstappen both cut the corner.

At the time, Russell and Hamilton agreed that the FIA should have handed out penalties, but they took no action.

Hamilton was later penalised for a separate incident with Max Verstappen, with the 10-second sanction ruining his race. Russell says he lost out in a farcical situation.

“It was ridiculous,” he told Ted Kravitz. “It felt like, from within the car, I was the only one who saw what was happening. I was in shock. Three guys cut the corner, no penalties. Lewis was the one that got hardest done by.

“Charles just cut the corner and just continued in that position. Lewis should have been on the podium there. That’s how it goes sometimes. The stewards do have a very difficult job. Ultimately, that corner is just rubbish.”

What does George Russell think about Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari struggles?

After a Q2 exit at the Hungarian GP in July, Hamilton called himself ‘useless’ and told Ferrari they should replace him.

Responding to those comments a race later, Russell said Hamilton was ‘talking nonsense’. He’s adamant that his compatriot is still an ‘exceptional’ driver.

The two drivers were closely matched in the 2022 and 2023 campaigns, but Russell pulled away from last year, particularly in qualifying. It’s been a similar story for Hamilton this year up against Leclerc.

Since the start of last season, Hamilton is trailing his teammates 37-10 over a single lap.