Lewis Hamilton praises George Russell’s ‘incredible start’ to Formula 1 career with Mercedes

Lewis Hamilton has been impressed by new team-mate George Russell’s incredible start to the 2022 Formula 1 season, despite Mercedes’ struggles in the opening few rounds.

24-year-old Russell replaced the outgoing Valtteri Bottas over the winter after three years spent with the backmarker Williams team, and scored his first Mercedes podium by capitalising on Max Verstappen’s retirement to finish third at the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne on Sunday.

Red Bull’s unreliability in the early stages of the season has caused them to suffer three retirements in as many races, allowing Russell to climb to second in the drivers’ championship standings, though he sits 34 points behind frontrunner Charles Leclerc.

The Mercedes W13 car has been struggling with intense bouncing at high speeds on the straights and is imply slower than its rivals through the corners, with both drivers unable to challenge for race victories as things stand, and Hamilton unlikely to be able to compete for a record-breaking eighth world championship.

The 37-year-old, though, is full of praise for the adaptation Russell has made since joining the team.

‘It’s incredible,’ Hamilton said of Russell’s level of performance to reporters after the race in Melbourne. ‘He’s done an amazing job. He did an amazing job [in the Australian Grand Prix], had great pace. He’s been so solid these first three races, and he’s working and really grafting away. He’s doing an amazing job.’

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