Ralf Schumacher believes George Russell will consistently beat Lewis Hamilton in his first season at Mercedes. The former F1 driver and winner of six Grand Prix is adamant that Russell has the raw talent and ambition to become number one within the team. It is yet another example of Hamilton’s reputation being diminished, purely because he is driving the best car. Critics often say of Hamilton that winning in the best car is easy, anyone can do it. Valtteri Bottas is an exceptional driver, but he couldn’t beat Hamilton over the course of a Grand Prix season. Hamilton and drivers of a similar caliber operate at another level and when they have a very good car, winning is as easy as breathing.

But the jury is still out on Russell. He performed exceptionally well when he deputized for a Covid stricken Hamilton at the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix, which he should have won. And he drove above and beyond the capabilities of his Williams Grand Prix car. Hamilton is a different equation altogether, only time will tell if Russell can climb the mountain without slipping back down. During a media interview, Schumacher is convinced Russell has what it takes.

Ralf Schumacher:

“I think George Russell is an exceptional talent. Whether he will develop like Lewis Hamilton did remains to be seen. We also have to remember Lewis is 37 years old and Mercedes have to think about the future. I think Mercedes have a super line-up now”

“The young Russell was very careful with his comments and emphasised he wants to learn a lot now. The tone was quite different when George replaced Lewis in Bahrain 2020 (Sakhir Grand Prix when Hamilton had COVID) and drove alongside Valtteri Bottas. But I’m convinced that internally it looks different, and I already believe he can beat Lewis from the start.”

However, Valtteri Bottas is not so convinced about Russell. The Finn was talking to UK media about his thoughts on the forthcoming dynamics between Russell and his former teammate.

Valtteri Bottas:

“Beating Lewis is not easy. I have experienced that.”

“I don’t see anyone else beating Lewis in the near future in the same machinery. George will adjust well because he has been with Mercedes for some years.

“Even when he [Hamilton] has a bad day it is not too bad. It is his consistency over the season. Another of his key strengths is his ability to adapt to different conditions, the skill to react to changes, be it set-up or whatever.”

“This and his race-craft. His tyre management is a special skill and all these things are combined with talent. And he puts in the work, which not many people see, so he is hard to beat.”