Lewis Hamilton 'won’t give up very easily' against Mercedes teammate George Russell, predicts renowned F1 commentator

F1 commentator Johnny Herbert recently spoke about how Lewis Hamilton will be racing against George Russell in the 2023 F1 season and beyond. After Valtteri Bottas left Mercedes, the team signed Russell from Williams. This was an expected move since the young Briton was set to join the Silver Arrows and become their future star driver.

In the 2022 F1 season, Russell was surprisingly impressive, finishing the season a few points ahead of Hamilton. However, Herbert feels that the seven-time world champion will not be sitting idle for long and will pick up the pace in 2023.

Speaking to Total-Motorsport.com, the F1 commentator stated:

"It’s a good thing, maybe for Lewis, knowing that the pressure is going to be really hot from George. It can be a very positive thing for a driver to know your team-mate is going to be strong, to be pushed. You know you need to up your game straightaway. Lewis has done that in the past but he’s coming to the end of his career."

Herbert further delved deep into how experienced drivers feel whenever a young teammate joins and tries to take their crown. Although George Russell has impressed Mercedes and their fans in the 2022 F1 season, Lewis Hamilton will not be leaving the top spot and will fight for it. Herbert said:

"Things change as you get older and when you have a young whippersnapper coming in, who’s hungry for that success, there is going to be a crossover at some point. Will that be this year? I would be surprised. But I think it’s gonna be a mighty, tight tussle with George very hungry to try and take the reins away from Lewis, who won’t give up very easily as well. That’s what we want."

---

Lewis Hamilton explains how F1 drivers go through an emotional and psychological rollercoaster

Lewis Hamilton recently revealed how F1 drivers experience emotional and psychological turmoil while maintaining a professional relationship with one another. Speaking on Jay Shetty's On Purpose podcast, the Briton explained how drivers might like each other and have similar interests off the track, but the on-track rivalry somewhat prevents them from becoming fast friends. He said:

"We have a lot more in common than we think. But we're so competitive and a lot of us have a defence. You want to beat the guy, but you like the guy. You might like the person outside the car, but you can't show that. There's this whole psychological battle you're having with yourself and getting away with yourself a lot of the time."

He further added:

"There's this huge psychological and emotional rollercoaster that you're going through that it will be really hard for people to comprehend."

Though we have seen drivers like Carlos Sainz, Lando Norris, etc., relax and share different interests off the track, the psychology explained by Lewis Hamilton is also observed among many of them.