© Wolfgang Wilhelm for Daimler AG
Asked whether having George Russell as a team-mate in 2022 would be another hurdle for him to overcome, Lewis Hamilton said he doesn’t have anything to prove.
With rumours swirling around that George Russell could become Lewis Hamilton’s team-mate at Mercedes in 2022, Lewis was asked if he thinks this turn of events could cause problems for him.
“It’s not like I have anything to prove,” the Briton said.
“I have raced against some incredible drivers as team-mates, in my rookie years alongside Fernando [Alonso].
“I don’t really feel like I have anything to prove. If anything, if it does turn out that I have got a new team-mate, I am in a different place in my life.
“I am more excited to see the youngsters coming through. It is not like I want to lose to a youngster naturally, but I am excited to see the progression of the sport because I am a fan of the sport at the end of the day.
“You heard me earlier on in the year talk about Lando [Norris]. It is encouraging to see these youngsters come through.
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“They’re fierce. I see a lot of myself in this younger generation and I think they are what this sport is going to be relying on going forward.”
Lewis goes on to say that if Russell indeed does become his team-mate, he is sure “there will be things that we learn from one another”. He also adds Mercedes is more prepared to handle any issues than they were during the years when his team-mate was Nico Rosberg.
“It is important that respect is always there and communication will be at the core of that.
“We have got an amazing setting at our team in terms of morale, in terms of processes and how the team put their arms around our two drivers – that is why we have harmony in our team.
“I think we are so much better prepared than we were in previous years.”
Asked how he believes the relationship between him and Russell will change if they become team-mates, Lewis said he believes “it’ll be good”.
“Obviously I think it’ll be good. I think George is an incredibly talented driver. I would say that the only highlight from last week [Belgian GP] was his qualifying lap.
“I think he’s humble, I think he’s got a great approach. Naturally, being British I would imagine that helps in terms of communication.
“He’s one of the many that will be the future of the sport. He’s already shown incredible driving so far and I’m sure he’ll continue to grow.”
The seven-time champion also explained his ongoing support for his current team-mate Valtteri Bottas.
“At the moment I have to be very supportive of the teammate that I have right now so that’s why I’m always supportive of Valtteri because we have a job to do right now,” Hamilton added.
“Neither of us can win the team championship alone, we have to do it collectively,” concluded Hamilton.
