3 reasons why George Russell has to beat Lewis Hamilton in the 2024 F1 season

The 2024 F1 season is crucial for Mercedes duo George Russell and Lewis Hamilton. The two drivers have now been together for two years, with their partnership beginning at the start of the ground effect era.

The first season saw Russell take the lead and beat Hamilton. The second season saw the exact opposite as Hamilton took back the initiative with an impressive season. The 2024 F1 season will be the third season together for the two British drivers and it comes at a crucial point, especially for Russell.

The two drivers have each outscored the other over a season once and the dynamics in 2023 are certainly going to be interesting.

Having said that, for Russell the 2024 F1 season is crucial and he has to beat his teammate, and here's why.

#1 The last season was below par for George Russell

Most importantly for George Russell, the 2023 F1 season was in many ways a character-building season. He could not put together a strong run and more often than not, it was down to him making mistakes he ideally should not be making.

Russell lost on the podium with a mistake in Monaco. He also lost on a podium due to a mistake in Singapore and then there were other races where he found it hard to put together what should be an expected level of consistency.

If you end up having such a season once, it's okay. But if that becomes second nature and a characteristic of your driving then that's a problem.

For Russell, that's what he has to avoid. To do that, he needs to put together a season where he's back to the consistency of 2022 and can take over from Lewis Hamilton.

#2 He can't afford to be in Lewis Hamilton's shadow anymore

This is George Russell's third season at Mercedes. Quite often we forget that he was brought to the team to take over from Lewis Hamilton at some stage.

He was supposed to be the team leader once Hamilton was on his way out of the sport. In the last two seasons, while Russell has been impressive on multiple occasions, he hasn't truly established himself as the man who could take over from Hamilton once he leaves the sport.

If the 2024 F1 season once again sees Russell being the understudy for Hamilton, then we're looking at a driver whose perception in the eyes of many will start to fade.

Russell will no longer be considered a driver who could one day become a world champion. On the contrary, he would be considered someone who would be a strong support cast for the lead driver in any top team.

That's certainly not what Russell would have in mind when it comes to his F1 career as Hamilton's teammate.

#3 His legacy will be impacted

One of the biggest reasons why George Russell will be looking to beat Lewis Hamilton this season and take over at Mercedes is because that would affect his overall legacy.

In a few years, Hamilton will move on from F1 and as a driver, if Russell has not beaten one of the best talents in F1 in his last few years then how can he ever be considered the best on the grid?

Russell can continue to race in F1 as long as he wants but that shadow will always remain over him.