"He has yet to prove all that": Why George Russell has to do 'all the hard work' at Mercedes

Damon Hill believes George Russell is yet to prove himself at Mercedes as a young driver. The former F1 champion feels Lewis Hamilton does not have anything to prove with the team. However, his teammate will have to show his capability to do the heavy lifting when it comes to his duties to the team.

Speaking on the F1 Nation podcast, Hill said:

“We [drivers] are competitive. And we are kind of political as well. You have to be aware of rising forces or rising empires within the team. George has to make himself a valued asset of the team. And he’s obviously doing that really well. But at the same time, he’s the one that has to do all the hard work. I think Lewis doesn’t have to."

He added:

"They [Mercedes] know what they’ve got with Lewis, and they know that given half a sniff of a chance, he’s going to be back on on top form and can deliver those extraordinary races. They know that George can do that too. But he has yet to prove all that.”

After Tom Clarkson’s comments about the dynamic between the two Mercedes drivers, Hill felt that one had to prove his mettle whereas the other didn’t.

Clarkson’s observation from the press conference in Australia was that Lewis Hamilton was letting George Russell do all the answering and become the PR face of the team.

To which, the 1996 world champion felt that the seven-time world champion had nothing to prove after his success in the sport, whereas his younger teammate did.

As for the potential of the two drivers, Hill felt that the British champion’s potential is known to the team, whereas his teammate is yet to prove his full potential.

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Damon Hill feels Lewis Hamilton might have let George Russell take the work load of the team

The 2022 season was the maiden season with Mercedes for George Russell. However, Lewis Hamilton was seen carrying out most of the experimental setups and doing the development work.

Hill feels that 2023 might be the season where the multiple champion lets his junior teammate take on the team's workload and focus on performing instead.

The former F1 driver pointed out that the 25-year-old has also taken on a lot of responsibilities at the Grand Prix Drivers Association (GPDA), along with his team duties.

Commenting on the workload between the two Mercedes drivers, Hill explained:

“So I think Lewis is very good and will suss all this out and then he’ll be sitting there thinking ‘well, okay, I’ll let you do all the hard work, George, because it’s exhausting doing all this’. George is also the director of GPDA so he’s got a big workload, George, he’s taken on quite a lot. But I think Lewis’ strategy has always been to remove as many distractions as possible and leave time for downtime and clarity.”

The 1996 world champion suggests that Lewis Hamilton will try his best to remove distractions and focus on rejuvenating his driving mojo, while his junior teammate is obligated to prove his mettle and undertake more responsibilities.

The seven-time world champion recently parted ways with his longtime performance coach and confidant, Angela Cullen, prior to the Saudi Arabian GP weekend.

While both parties mutually parted ways, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has suggested that it might be part of the new approach the British champion plans to take.