Hamilton cannot be blamed for losing faith
‘IF LEWIS were to leave,’ pondered George Russell as he addressed the prospect of Hamilton joining Ferrari. ‘That would put Mercedes in a tricky spot. It would almost look like he’s lost faith in the team.’
Russell was speaking in an episode of Netflix’s newly-released Drive to Survive series — a chapter the Mercedes’ PR machine envisaged would celebrate Hamilton’s decision to stay with them.
Hamilton, after all, had signed a two-year contract extension last August to remain with the Silver Arrows until the end of 2025.
But following Hamilton’s shock decision to tear up his contract a year early in favour of a move to Ferrari, Russell’s remarks — too late to be pulled from Netflix’s sixth season — shed a very public spotlight on the awkward dynamic that faces the grid’s once-dominant team and its superstar driver ahead of the new season which starts in Bahrain on Saturday night.
Mercedes transformed Hamilton from a man with a single world championship to a one-man winning machine. He has seven world championships and 103 victories. No other driver in history can boast such an impressive resume.
But Hamilton is motivated by capturing the eighth title he believes he was robbed of in Abu Dhabi in 2021. And the 39-year-old no longer thinks he can achieve the record-breaking feat with Mercedes. As Russell would say, he’s lost the faith.
Mercedes will remain at the sharp end of the grid this season.
They have ditched the concept that has failed them so miserably for the past two years and introduced a new design philosophy — one that both Hamilton and Russell said is more predictable and easier to drive.
But will it possess the speed to knock Red Bull and Max Verstappen off their perch?
Alarmingly for the neutrals, Damon Hill, the 1996 world champion, has predicted this season will be ‘one long victory lap’ for Verstappen.
But all is not lost — and that is when we return to Hamilton.
While Verstappen could prove an unstoppable force on track, Hamilton’s agonisingly long goodbye with Mercedes will provide a fascinating subplot.