'Cut-throat' George Russell could leave Lewis Hamilton 'wondering what's going on' at Mercedes, predicts former F1 driver

Former F1 driver Mark Blundell recently spoke about how George Russell could become a 'cut-throat' driver and fight Lewis Hamilton if it comes down to a championship battle. Though it will be Russell's second year with Mercedes, he has proven how quick he can be alongside seven-time world champion Hamilton.

Speaking to PlanetF1, Blundell discusses the possibility of George Russell becoming aggressive and not following orders from Mercedes, especially if and when he will have a chance to lead the championship and win it. Of course, Russell has not been in a situation where he could win a championship; hence, no one knows how the young Briton will react. Blundell said:

“I don’t know him that well. But you know, from the outside looking in, he seems an incredibly nice guy and doesn’t seem to have that little edge to him. But, you know, we’re talking about putting him in the situation where we see whether that decision is going to get taken and to date, he’s not quite been in that situation to make that decision.”

He further added:

“That’s going to be the interesting point. You know, if he’s 15, 16 races into a championship and he’s leading it, is he going to start to get cut-throat and carve out a niche for himself inside the team and Lewis is going to be sitting there, you know, wondering what’s going on? We’re going to have to wait and see whether that develops. But yeah, I don’t think the decision has had to be made by him yet on that side. So that’s something that we’re going to all watch and see how it pans out.”

As the 2023 F1 season pans out, we will see how George Russell performs and builds his relationship with Mercedes. As the Silver Arrows try to get back on top and fight for the championship, it will be fascinating to see how both the British drivers race each other.

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George Russell wants to keep improving even after beating Lewis Hamilton

The 2022 F1 season was brilliant for George Russell as he was able to finish ahead of veteran teammate Lewis Hamilton and even bag his first race victory in Brazil. The fact that Russell was able to stay ahead of the seven-time world champion shows his performance levels from last season. However, the man himself feels that he has a long way to go.

During the Mercedes 2023 car launch event, he spoke about how he needed to improve even more. He also mentioned how Hamilton was extremely good at managing his tires in 2022 and how he needs to learn that from him as well. Russell said:

"Definitely still room to improve, and I feel that fills me with confidence. Because I still felt like I performed at a very high level, even though that I know I’ve got a lot more in my pocket."

George Russell further added:

"I think the main one is probably just the tyre management. Something I thought Lewis was very good at was maximizing the stints and getting the most out of the tires across a stint. That year under my belt being teammates with him, seeing some of his traits, has been really, really beneficial for me."

With the 2023 F1 season getting underway next month in Bahrain, fans and analysts will keep a keen eye on the young Briton and his veteran compatriot.