Former Formula 1 driver John Watson, who has racked up five career victories at the wheel of Penske and McLaren, believes Lewis Hamilton must work hard to keep up with his young teammate George Russell. Watson believes Lewis is in danger of losing his status as Mercedes leader.
John Watson: “I think Mercedes will win this year. I don’t know if it will be one or more races, but I feel the team has potential. Mercedes has already had to deal with the loss of key employees who go to Red Bull and other teams.
It is difficult for them to make up for the losses, but new people are coming to them and wanting to prove themselves. In a sense, Mercedes has entered a transition period. However, I believe the team will win this year, but I don’t know which driver will finish first – Lewis or George.
I think Hamilton is well aware that Russell has become his toughest opponent on the team since Nico Rosberg in 2016. There’s no denying Lewis has aged six years since then.
Lewis is going through a rough patch right now, but will he want to leave with a wave of trouble? Or does he still have the potential to win? I think so, but he has to stay ahead of Russell. Lewis doesn’t need a partner to win the race for him.
We see an example of the struggle of a young and experienced driver – this has been the case throughout the history of motorsport. We see what drives generations. Lewis needs to improve and I think he has the potential to do that.
However, if Russell gets ahead of Hamilton, wins two or three races this year, and Lewis can’t match him, it means the end of Lewis’ racing career. Perhaps Hamilton will then try to find other options – go to Ferrari or, improbably, to Red Bull.
Lewis’ ambition is to become an eight-time world champion. It hasn’t happened this year, but seeing Mercedes get strong again in 2023 will give him motivation. But if Russell will be stronger than Hamilton in the remaining races, I don’t know what Lewis will do. It will be difficult for him to leave the team in this context, but if Russell becomes a Mercedes man, I don’t think Lewis will stay.
George is getting used to the team more and more, he has ambition and natural speed. A successful future awaits him when Mercedes solves the problems and builds a car that can win races.”
Source: F1 News
I’m Todderic Kirkman, a journalist and author for athletistic. I specialize in covering all news related to sports, ranging from basketball to football and everything in between. With over 10 years of experience in the industry, I have become an invaluable asset to my team. My ambition is to bring the most up-to-date information on sports topics around the world.
