Ralf Schumacher , former Formula 1 driver and current Sky Sport collaborator as an expert, is one of those characters who doesn’t hold back when it comes to expressing what he thinks. After the first Miami Grand Prix, the German decided to compare the start of the season between Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, the British drivers of the Mercedes team.
Russell, who is currently 23 points clear of the seven-time champion in the general classification after five races, is, according to Ralf, a very different teammate than Valtteri Bottas was.
“Russell is of a different caliber to Lewis than Bottas was and above all he is consistent,” the German commented.
In his first season with Mercedes, Russell is the only driver on the entire grid to have managed to finish in the top 5 in the first five races of the season, backing up this consistency described by the German.
“He is also someone who encourages people, just like Hamilton. He gives a feeling of sympathy and camaraderie in the team,” he added. “He’s slightly outclassing Lewis in every way. He’s just doing better, and I’m sure that’s annoying.”
It is the first time since he fought for the 2016 world championship with Nico Rosberg that a teammate has confronted him in this way, and it seems that Ralf is of the opinion that Hamilton is not doing very well.
“That’s clear, he’s selfish, like all racing drivers were, and so am I, I admit it,” admitted the German. “In any case, I have to say that it will annoy him one hundred percent.”
However, Ralf’s praise for Russell also includes the claim that the Mercedes rookie was “lucky” with the safety car exit caused by the incident between Lando Norris and Pierre Gasly. Still, he goes on to say that, at the Miami Grand Prix, Russell was “again, a little better” than the seven-time world champion.
“Lewis is still having problems with the car and has complained a lot. Okay, yes, okay, we know he was fast, but he’s still having problems. At least he’s going in the right direction,” concluded the now analyst for German television.
