Mika Häkkinen sees George Russell as a future Formula 1 world champion. The Finn says he was impressed by the Briton’s first season at the wheel of the Mercedes. He knew how to keep Lewis Hamilton behind him on several occasions.
George Russell joined Mercedes last year after driving for Williams for three seasons. Despite major problems in the W13, the 24-year-old Briton has consistently delivered good results for the team.
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Lewis Hamilton struggled a bit in the first half of the season, although admittedly the seven-time world champion has been experimenting a lot with new parts to help Mercedes progress. Therefore, when the W13 started to perform better after the summer, it was once again Lewis Hamilton who was able to do well in the team.
Russell sole winner for Mercedes in 2022
However, during the race weekend in Brazil, Russell was in another dimension. He won the sprint race on Saturday and won the Grand Prix on Sunday. His teammate finished second, but couldn’t match his young teammate. According to Häkkinen, this weekend was eye-opening.
“What he did in Brazil was brilliant”, he reportedly told F1i.com. “The team improved the car enormously, which allowed it to win races.”
Can Russell get ahead of Hamilton in 2023?
The double world champion thinks so and says he sees Russell as a world champion in the making. “With his experience at Mercedes and his experience in Formula 1 in general, he can keep Lewis behind him. It’s very impressive, because Lewis is fantastic. A fantastic personality and an exceptional driver. So if George does it, I think England will be able to say: Wow, what a driver we have!”
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Russell finished fourth in the championship last year. Lewis Hamilton had to settle for sixth place in the drivers’ standings.
