F1 pundit claims Mercedes "sabotaged" Lewis Hamilton by signing George Russell in place of Valtteri Bottas

Renowned F1 figure Peter Windsor has opined that Mercedes did not play the ultimate team game for Lewis Hamilton when they signed George Russell instead of Valtteri Bottas. According to Windsor, the decision on Bottas from Toto Wolff and Co. was technically a 'sabotage' for Hamilton.

At the end of 2021, Mercedes parted ways with Bottas and brought in Russell from Williams. The young Brit joined the Silver Arrows on a multi-year deal to form an all-British line-up at the Brackley team. However, for Hamilton, the dynamic changed drastically.

Going by the statistics, Bottas mostly stayed in the shadows of the seven-time world champion for five long years. But with Russell's arrival, things changed as the young driver, with plenty of potential, was not ready to settle for second place in the team.

That, as per numerous experts, including Windsor's belief, made things tougher for Lewis Hamilton. On one side, he had to battle for the championship, and on the other, he had to beat his new teammate, who was not ready to fall back.

Speaking about that, Windsor said in an interview with the Cameron F1 podcast (at 31:48):

"Well, I say, I think he [Wolff] sabotaged Lewis' efforts when he signed George Russell instead of Valtteri Bottas."

Notably, George Russell arrived in 2022 and took charge of the team. At the end of his first season at Mercedes, the 26-year-old overpowered Lewis Hamilton by 35 points. Russell claimed P4 with 275 points — the only win for the team that year — while Hamilton managed P6 with 240 points.

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"Mercedes did not try their best for Lewis Hamilton after 2021 Abu Dhabi debacle" - Peter Windsor

Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing stands with Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes on the podium during the 2021 F1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Courtesy: Getty

Peter Windsor also slammed Mercedes and Toto Wolff for their failure to salvage the 2021 crown for Lewis Hamilton. According to the Australian F1 expert, the Silver Arrows "could have" done a better job after the 39-year-old lost the championship at the last lap in Abu Dhabi.

"In my opinion, I think Mercedes could have gone a lot further after Abu Dhabi '21 to try and get that [2021 crown] sorted," the former Ferrari boss said at the aforementioned podcast (at 31:56).

Although Toto Wolff and Co. lodged two complaints against Max Verstappen and Red Bull after losing the race, the court dismissed both. Mercedes also withdrew their protest by holding the FIA accountable for the outcome.

The 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix remains one of the most controversial races in F1's history where Max Verstappen claimed his first title by beating Lewis Hamilton, because of a "human error" by Michael Masi, then-FIA race director.