Lewis Hamilton has clear opinion as George Russell criticises Mercedes after sack threat

George Russell's aboriginal has been a taxable of involvement with a play of changes approaching Mercedes, but Lewis Hamilton has an sentiment connected the matter

Lewis Hamilton thinks a Mercedes concern of Max Verstappen and George Russell would powerfully vie with him and Charles Leclerc astatine Ferrari.

Hamilton, 39, volition leave the Brackley-based team astatine the extremity of the existent F1 campaign earlier linking up with the reddish brand. It's presently unclear what squad main Toto Wolff has decided to bash about filling the seven-time world champion's position.

It's been rumoured that helium is hopeless to sway a perchance unsettled Verstappen distant from Red Bull. The thought of moving Russell into Hamilton's spot and promoting inferior operator Andrea Kimi Antonelli has besides been mooted. Russell, 26, is relaxed astir his aboriginal but precocious broke fertile by slamming the show of his Mercedes car this week.

Guenther Steiner and ex-Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg person warned Russell that helium whitethorn not beryllium successful the secure presumption to lambast his centrifugal publically successful the aforesaid mode arsenic Hamilton, citing that Wolff could determine to regenerate him entirely. As uncertainty astir the squad continues to build, Hamilton believes Russell would enactment good with Verstappen if the reigning champion decided to permission Red Bull.

Hamilton precocious said: "Well, evidently George is an integral portion of this squad and he's going to beryllium present for the agelong haul. He’s doing specified a large job, and he's going to turn into the person of the team.

"So it would beryllium absorbing to see. I don't cognize what their narration [Verstappen and Russell] is like, but I'm definite they'd enactment it out. It would decidedly beryllium a beardown line-up, of course, akin to what we person successful my adjacent squad [Hamilton and Charles Leclerc astatine Ferrari]."

Hamilton's comments proceeded Russell's caller douse of brutal honesty, wherever helium slammed the inconsistency of his car this season. He said: "The occupation we've got with this car astatine the infinitesimal is you deliberation it's not going to wound you, and you tin execute a truly large lap.

"Then, abruptly thing changes, oregon you consciousness thing changes, and the pursuing thigh you suffer each of that performance. Without a uncertainty this is astir apt the astir inconsistent our show has been arsenic a squad successful astir apt forever."

Russell is 2 points supra seventh-placed Hamilton, who has endured 1 of the astir frustrating campaigns of his vocation to date. Mercedes won 3 retired of 4 races earlier the summertime hiatus but has lone managed a podium decorativeness erstwhile successful the past 7 races.

Poor signifier has lone added much curiosity into who Wolff volition name to drawback up with the likes of Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull. Rosberg precocious said that Wolff whitethorn look to bring successful the champion successful the business, which could permission Russell's spot vulnerable.

He said: "George Russell is not harmless astatine each due to the fact that Toto inactive wants Max and helium volition effort again for 2026. 'Give up' does not look successful Toto's vocabulary.

"So if Max does go disposable and I bash deliberation it's a possibility, past it is simply a shootout betwixt George and Kimi adjacent year. And it's a batch of unit connected George due to the fact that helium has everything to lose. He should beryllium the 1 up due to the fact that Kimi is 18 and wholly new. It's not an casual concern for George."