Formula 1: Russell Anticipates More of Hamilton's Brilliance

Jeddah, April 18 (NationPress) Mercedes driver George Russell believes that his former teammate and seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton will showcase more brilliance this season as he continues to adapt to his new Ferrari car. After concluding a 12-year tenure with Mercedes, Hamilton has embarked on a fresh journey with Scuderia this season and is still familiarizing himself with the SF-25. His best race finish thus far has been P5 in Bahrain.

Nevertheless, there was a remarkable moment when the Briton triumphed in the season's inaugural Sprint in Shanghai -- a performance Russell feels highlighted Hamilton's true potential.

When questioned during the media day preceding the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix about his perspective on Hamilton's time at Ferrari so far, Russell replied: “I’m not entirely certain, to be honest. After Fernando (Alonso), he’s the most seasoned driver on the grid, a seven-time World Champion, and an extraordinary person and racer.”

“We witnessed it in China, the second race of the season, where he secured pole in the Sprint and comfortably won the race. I know what he can achieve, and transitioning into a new team is challenging, especially with fierce competition, but he’s an exceptional driver and I’m confident that when things start to align, as they did in China, we’ll see more of that brilliance.”

Reflecting on his own season thus far, Russell is pleased with his performance, having clinched podium finishes in three of the first four races. Currently, Mercedes holds the second position in the Constructors' Championship, trailing McLaren by 58 points.

That said, Russell acknowledges that some of those opportunities may have arisen from occasional mistakes made by McLaren, who are still widely perceived as the team to beat this season.

“My ambitions are to compete for the World Championship, and realistically, we don’t possess a car capable of challenging McLaren. They could likely have finished first and second in every race this year, but they've provided the rest of us a few openings,” Russell shared.

“Max (Verstappen) and I have likely made it onto the podium a bit too often due to some small mistakes, and while we’ll take it, I don’t foresee those errors persisting throughout 24 races.”

Looking back on his drive to P2 last time out in Bahrain, Russell suggested that he anticipates a tougher battle from the Silver Arrows’ competitors this weekend in Jeddah.

“It was a fantastic race, a great weekend [in Bahrain],” the 27-year-old said. “It served as the validation we needed from the car moving to a completely different track.

“There are challenges with tyre overheating compared to the easy degradation seen in Suzuka and China, to determine if we’ve developed a more balanced car, and it’s evident that we have. Still, I expect tough competition this weekend.”

“Red Bull had a less than ideal weekend – I anticipate they’ll be quick here, similar to Suzuka, due to some shared characteristics with the high-speed, smooth tarmac. However, we have the softest compound of tyres, which is advantageous, and I’m pleased to see Pirelli moving that forward.”