OPINION | 'Keeping his powder dry?' Don't discount Lewis, he's plotting to throw down the Hammer

Anyone closely watching Formula 1 these past two seasons would have noticed how the Mercedes-AMG team fell from grace. In the same breath, George Russell has seemingly usurped the OG leader, Lewis Hamilton.

On the face of it, Russell has been performing miles better than Hamilton. He finished every race in 2022 inside the top five, bar three Grands Prix, and claimed a race victory in Brazil, leading Hamilton over the finish line.

Meanwhile, Hamilton has yet to win a race since 2021.

With the 2023 season being just three races old, Hamilton is already 20 points clear of Russell (38 vs 18) but one can't help feeling that Russell will claw his way back.

We are not suggesting that Russell will wipe the floor with Hamilton this year, as he did in 2022, but there could be more to the unfolding drama than just two top-class drivers scrapping for points.

Is Hamilton holding back?

Hamilton is notoriously dangerous on the racetrack. He tends to wipe the floor with his teammates and will drive the wheels off his car if it means adding another victory to his name. And no one can deny his brilliance behind the steering wheel.

Rightfully, many will point out that the cars he drove propelled him to the successes he's enjoyed, but it still takes a monumental effort to exploit the machine's performance potential.

READ: 2008 Singapore GP bombshell: Hamilton's maiden title threatened as Massa seeks legal action

In 2022 and '23, Hamilton realised that both the W13 and W14 were not up to standard. Both cars are not by any means close to challenging Red Bull Racing, bar the odd occasion things go their way.

Early updates to the W14 helped Hamilton secure second place in Australia last time out, but the car is still slower than Max Verstappen's