F1 expert praises Lewis Hamilton-beater George Russell as his Mercedes contract extension continues to get delayed

Former IndyCar driver and F1 pundit James Hinchcliffe claimed George Russell to be one of the solid drivers on the grid while shedding light on his time as teammates with Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes. Russell is sitting fourth in the Drivers' standings behind the McLaren duo and Max Verstappen and is yet to receive a contract extension from his current employer.

Russell was promoted from Williams to Mercedes in 2022, when he was paired alongside seven-time champion Hamilton in his debut campaign for the Brackley-based squad. In the intra-team battle, the younger compatriot surged ahead of his senior driver, while also bringing in the sole victory for the German giant that year.

Though the 40-year-old came back at Russell in the following season, 2024 showcased the younger driver's prowess over the team's star driver, who had brought six Drivers' championships in the past decade. Moreover, the four-time race winner has taken on the job of being the squadron leader this year and has scored the majority of points for the team.

Reflecting on George Russell's solid start to the 2025 season, James Hinchcliffe said on the Red Flags podcast:

"I think George has had a career year, honestly. And that's saying something considering he’s beat Lewis Hamilton head-to-head in Lewis's house, right? Like he showed up to Lewis's house and year one Lewis had him. Two and three, George got him back and was just performing consistently at a better level than Lewis. So, I think when you look at where that car is at and some of the results that he's had, it's really impressive what George has been doing this year." (37:23 onwards)

On the other hand, Lewis Hamilton headed out of Brackley to join Maranello at the start of the year, where he has not had great results with the Prancing Horses.

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George Russell affirms his faith in Lewis Hamilton amid the latter's dip in results

Lewis Hamilton (L) and George Russell (R) at the 2025 F1 Grand Prix of Miami race weekend - Source: Getty

Lewis Hamilton moved to Ferrari with huge ambitions of reuniting the F1 championship with Maranello. But the Brit is yet to score a podium for the Scuderia.

With Charles Leclerc being the majority point scorer for the Italian squad and Hamilton fighting to break into the top-10, Russell backed his former teammate and claimed that he still has the pace underneath him. He said (via F1's official website):

"We saw it in China, second race of the season, on pole in the Sprint, wins the race comfortably. I know what he’s capable of, and it’s not easy going into a new team and the competition is tough, but he’s an amazing driver and I’m sure, when things start to click, as they did in China, we’ll see more of that magic."

Hamilton has 10 race weekends to salvage some strong results from the 2025 season. F1 will return to racing by the end of the month, with the Dutch Grand Prix.