New frienemies Lewis & George
LEWIS HAMILTON and George Russell will become the best of enemies this season – and Mercedes boss Toto Wolff will lap it up.
As the clock ticks down to the season’s opener in Bahrain next week, F1 driver-turned-pundit David Coulthard (below) has predicted that Silver
Arrows pair will be ‘eyeballing’ each other as race tensions build.
Seven-time world champ Hamilton not only has revenge in his sights as he looks to overhaul Max
Verstappen, but
Coulthard believes he will have as big a battle on his hands from his own team-mate.
The Scot said: “Here are two competitive people trying to mark out the territory as their own – there’s likely to be friction.
“To start with, it will be harmonious. But as the season progresses, I think a fallout is likely – it’s equally likely that it will be behind closed doors, too.
“With Valtteri Bottas, Lewis had a comfortable relationship.
“But what we’ve seen with George so far – when he had a coming together with Valtteri himself at Imola last season – that he was very vocal and visible in his frustration.
“So, I expect them to be eye-balling each other at some point – and team principal Toto Wolff will want that. If you’ve got two drivers who aren’t disagreeing, then they’re not pushing each other.
“All of us refer to them as ‘team-mates’. In F1, there’s no such thing. His success is your failure. And his failure is your success.
“You are two people employed by one team to race two cars. You can have a harmonious relationship – but it’s not a friendship.”
Russell has been promoted alongside Hamilton because of his progress at Mercedesaffiliate Williams, impressing after he deputised when the 37-year-old was struggling with Covid.
And Coulthard says the Norfolk driver deserves his shot in the hot-seat.
He said: “If you look at George’s route to F1, he’s won every category.
“The backbone of any winning driver is speed and what George did during his short time with Mercedes was deliver speed.
“It’s now up to him to handle the pressure of expectation. He will now be expected to match
Lewis every race weekend.
“If he does, that’s absolutely exceptional – people will go, ‘Wow, this guy’s the real deal’.”
“If he doesn’t, he will get a year’s grace. If he doesn’t do it after that, well, he’s had his chance.”