Hamilton departure ‘could be good for Mercedes’, says Russell

George Russell believes that Lewis Hamilton’s departure from Mercedes at the end of the season could be beneficial for the team, which continues to struggle to properly adapt to the ground effect rules now in their third season.

The seven-time champion will part ways with the team with which he won six of his titles at the end of the year to join Ferrari. According to Russell, who spoke to the Daily Mail, Hamilton’s transfer could allow Mercedes to rediscover itself. “My job is to beat my teammate and get the most out of the car. This will be a fresh start for the team; many people here have shared successes with Lewis, but often change ignites everyone’s spark.”

“It will do this for Lewis, and for us next year. You need to adapt and evolve. We are in the process of rebuilding the team from scratch. It’s good that Lewis is leaving now and not at the end of 2021, which would have been difficult for the whole team,” Russell said.

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The Briton also spoke in more detail about Mercedes’ problems in 2024. According to him, Brackley has gone too far with changes to the car compared to the last two seasons, and now the instability has shifted from the rear axle to the front.

“When you look at the data and overlay it with the feeling, you understand why last year wasn’t good, nor the year before that. Everything was in the rear, now it’s in the front. The problem is that the changes we made were excessive.”

“They were in the right direction, but we overdid it and missed the target. This shows that there always needs to be a compromise. We have a great team and more incredible people are joining it. James (Allison, the technical director) is back at the helm. There is a clear leadership structure, and I am quite a rational person; morale always drops when you realize you’re facing a tough season,” Russell said.