Formula 1

F1: Ralph Schumacher On Lewis Hamilton – “Russell Is The Better Driver Right Now”

Ralf Schumacher, brother to the legendary F1 driver Michael Schumacher, has written that he thinks Lewis Hamilton should concede to George Russell and admit that he is the faster driver of the Mercedes duo.

With this being George’s first season at Mercedes, he already holds a 21-point lead over the 7-time world champion who has been battling countless issues with the performance of his car. This isn’t to say that both drivers aren’t struggling, however. Russell recently admitted that due to the severe porpoising of the Mercedes, he’s already experiencing “back and chest pains”.

Obviously, Hamilton has already admitted that he’s out of the championship this year, but with Russell performing so much better than Hamilton, fans are finding it difficult to understand how this can be.

Schumacher doesn’t believe that this is purely beginner’s luck – it wasn’t luck that allowed Russell to finish 4th at Imola compared to Hamilton’s 13th.

“We also have to talk about Lewis Hamilton, of course,” Schumacher wrote in his column for Sky Germany.

“He has to ask himself why George Russell is so much faster than him. A 13th place is of course not Hamilton’s ambition.

“He has to admit to himself that Russell is the better driver right now. If this continues in the next few weeks, it will be exciting in the team. There could be changes in the ranking.”

The driver then reacts to Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko, who said that Hamilton should have retired at the end of last year:

“I’m far from saying Hamilton has missed the boat on ending his career,” he said.

“Lewis is still one of the best drivers in the field, that is clear.

“However, the new concepts require drivers to change a bit. Hamilton is not so used to it. Russell, on the other hand, is a young driver. They obviously cope better with it.”

Mercedes currently sits third in the Constructor Standings, dragged up by George’s brilliant performance and lucky breaks. Russell also sits 3 places above Hamilton in the Driver Standings at 4th place. Will he drop? It’s likely, as it seems as though Mercedes has been very lucky over the first four races. But will Russell stay above Hamilton?

At the moment, it’s looking clear that Russell is certainly coping with the car a lot better than Hamilton is. I’d suggest that Hamilton’s confidence has been knocked, or maybe there’s a significant difference between how the cars have been setup. Regardless of the issue, it doesn’t look like it will change any time soon.

Alex Harrington

Alex started racing at a young age so certainly knows his way around a car and a track. He can just about put a sentence together too, which helps. He has a great interest in the latest models, but would throw all of his money at a rusty old French classic and a 300ZX. Contact: [email protected]

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