George Russell making Lewis Hamilton 'grumpy' as Niki Lauda's son sees Mercedes issue

Niki Lauda's son, Mathias Lauda, believes Lewis Hamilton is having a "difficult time" dealing with Mercedes' lack of pace this season with George Russell stealing the limelight so far. Having won eight Constructors' Championships in a row, Mercedes came into this season as the team to beat.

But new aerodynamic regulations have caught Mercedes out with their W13 failing to compete with Red Bull and Ferrari. Hamilton has already finished 10th or lower twice in the opening five races with the F1 icon struggling to adapt to the team's lower position on the grid.

Russell though has been consistent each weekend with the young Brit sitting 23 points ahead of his team-mate. He's had some fortune on his side with the Safety Car at the Miami Grand Prix coming at just the right moment for Russell to pit for new tyres and eventually overtake Hamilton.

The 37-year-old has already ruled himself out of competing for this year's championship, despite Toto Wolff's hope that the team will find the solution to their problems soon. Russell has appeared more optimistic than Hamilton in recent weeks on Mercedes improving.

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And Mathias Lauda, who currently races in the FIA World Endurance Championship with Aston Martin, believes Hamilton is already showing signs of being "grumpy" at finishing regularly behind his team-mate.

"He's really having a difficult time driving around in the midfield," he told Servus TV. "It's still early days, but Lewis has only had problems so far. For George Russell, on the other hand, everything is new for him in a factory team.

"Lewis lost the title on the last lap of the last race in 2021 and the motivation I guess is different now. And