George Russell unsure if Lewis Hamilton appreciates ‘what he’s achieved’ after what he saw at Mercedes

Follow us on Google Discover

George Russell often speaks about his ex-Formula 1 teammate Lewis Hamilton in reverential terms. But he wonders whether Hamilton is truly satisfied with his career.

It could be argued that Russell didn’t come up against the best version of Hamilton during their three years together at Mercedes. Last year, he comfortably outperformed the spiralling veteran.

Russell and Hamilton were extremely closely matched in the overall head-to-head, but the former nonetheless became the only driver to outscore him twice in the same car.

Hamilton has very rarely displayed peak form in the ground-effect era, with only two race wins to his name across nearly four full seasons. And yet, he remains 38 victories clear of the next-best active driver in Max Verstappen.

George Russell says Lewis Hamilton always wants more

Writing in a column for The Players’ Tribune, Russell explained that Hamilton always wants to go ‘further’. Even though he’s already the ‘Michael Jordan’ of F1 in terms of sporting achievement, he’s obsessed with commercial and social success too.

According to close friend Jamie Chadwick, Russell sees an F1 title as ‘everything’. The driver himself credits Hamilton for teaching him that ‘winning comes first’.

Having established himself as the most successful driver ever, Russell says the Ferrari star has the ‘ultimate’ opportunity to pursue his off-track objectives.

“I won’t lie, it all came as a bit of a surprise with Lewis leaving for Ferrari,” he reflected. “I won’t speak for him, but I’ve sometimes wondered if within himself he could ever fully appreciate what he’s achieved in F1 because his vision is so much greater, further, and higher.

“Like, he’s aspiring to Michael Jordan, and from a sporting perspective he’s achieved it. But the way Lewis’ mind works, it’s like, ‘Has Jordan been more successful commercially?’

“Or, maybe another person has had a bigger social impact. His definition of greatness just keeps growing. But the biggest thing I learned from Lewis, I guess, is that the winning comes first. Then everything else. Now, he’s given himself the ultimate gift… the gift of choice.”

Lewis Hamilton knows George Russell still isn’t safe after new Mercedes deal

Russell has just signed a new contract at Mercedes, eliminating the one percent of uncertainty that remained. It’s widely reported to be a multi-year contract.

However, Mercedes only announced Russell for 2026 in their press release. That suggests they want to keep the door slightly ajar for top target Verstappen.

One theory is that Russell has an exit clause in his contract allowing for a separation at the end of next year. It’s unclear if this is tied to team or driver performance.

As Rob Smedley points out, Mercedes wouldn’t guarantee Hamilton a multi-year deal in 2023 despite his unprecedented haul of six titles in their colours. On that basis, Russell shouldn’t feel completely secure even after penning an extension.