Watch: The wholesome moment when George Russell waved to Lewis Hamilton while overtaking him during the F1 pre-season test

Lewis Hamilton and George Russell had been teammates at Mercedes for the past three years. With the seven-time champion switching bases to Maranello, this partnership got broken up, but the mutual respect between the two is still there. The 27-year-old waved to Hamilton while passing him on track during day 3 of pre-season testing.

In their time as teammates, Hamilton and Russell shared five victories together. At the 2022 Brazilian GP and the 2024 Las Vegas GP, they shared the podium and recorded a 1-2 finish.

Their synergy increased throughout their time as teammates, and with Lewis Hamilton's moving over to Ferrari this year, the synergy did not go away. The three-time race winner waved to his former teammate heading towards turn 11 at the Bahrain International Circuit:

Hamilton previously spent a decade of his racing career with the German giant.

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George Russell opens up about the impact of Lewis Hamilton's departure from Mercedes

Lewis Hamilton and George Russell at the Formula One Las Vegas Grand Prix Saturday Night - Source: Getty

The 40-year-old's practices had enveloped the team during his 12-year stint at Mercedes. Subsequently, Hamilton left, the German giant had to adapt to his absence, as George Russell revealed.

The Mercedes driver claimed that he would be grateful to have driven alongside the seven-time champion in his racing career, and said (via Formula 1):

"Naturally, it does feel different, of course. Lewis [Hamilton] is such a huge personality on and off track. But I think everybody within the team is very much excited for this next chapter, really. As the team look back on fond memories, I also feel grateful to have had that chance, being his team mate for three years and learning so much from him. Also going head-to-head with him directly."

“It kind of feels like the end of a chapter, but then you’re looking forward to the next journey. It’s very much for us and Mercedes… we’re looking forward and not backwards," he added.

With the pre-season testing underway, teams cannot decipher each other's performance relative as every team is on a different run plan. But McLaren, Ferrari, and Mercedes conducted a practice race run in which the papaya car was clear of its on-track rivals.

This soon changed with the running plan on Day 3 as the MCL39 drifted wide multiple times and suffered with a lively rear end. Most notably, Lando Norris had a big moment on the exit of turn four during the morning session but avoided collecting the barriers.

For the afternoon session, Oscar Piastri took over the car from Norris. And similarly, Kimi Antonelli handed the car to George Russell for the final stint, while Max Verstappen will complete a full day of running with the Red Bull RB21.