© Jiri Krenek for Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd.
Lewis Hamilton says “it was stressful” losing out to George Russell in 2022, and compares it to his rookie season alongside Fernando Alonso.
George Russell joined Mercedes in 2022, after three years with Williams, and he immediately impressed with his performance.
He ultimately was able to beat out his team-mate Lewis Hamilton in the Drivers’ Championship, but it has to be said the season was very tough for the seven-time world champion.
Not only was he denied an almost certain eighth championship title win in the final race of 2021, but he also sacrificed his own performance in 2022 to be able to help Mercedes understand and improve their difficult car.
So, in an interview with M4 Sport, Lewis was asked how it felt to ultimately finish behind his younger colleague.
“I would say last year, totally transparent, for sure I felt it,” Hamilton said.
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“George had nothing to lose and everything to gain. If he finished behind me they would say ‘well you finished behind a seven-time world champion’ and if he finished ahead then ‘you’re a legend’.
“I know exactly what that feeling was like, and I had exactly the same with Fernando [Alonso].
“If I finished behind him they would say ‘we expect that it’s your first year’, and if I finished ahead of him, I was great.
“But of course, when you’re then struggling with the car and not feeling you’re able to extract your full potential it was not easy – it was stressful.”
In 2023, however, Lewis is at the moment ahead of Russell by 49 points, and he admits he is feeling much better than he did last year.
“This year I don’t find that at all and I feel back in the swing of things,” the Briton concluded.
