Lewis Hamilton came out victorious in 82 of his 103 Grand Prix races with Mercedes and won six of his world championships with the Brackley team.
George Russell believes Hamilton’s departure will serve as a “fresh start” that will “ignite a new flame” for Mercedes.
The seven-time champion shocked the Formula 1 world in February when he exercised a contractual clause to join Ferrari for the 2025 season, thus ending the most successful driver-team partnership in the sport’s history.
Despite Hamilton triumphing in 82 of his 103 races with Mercedes and winning six world titles with the Brackley team, he has not tasted victory since the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Mercedes has struggled during the ground effects era.
Russell, who became Hamilton’s teammate in 2022, managed to secure the team’s only win in this era at the Sao Paulo race in 2022.
In 2024, Russell outperformed Hamilton in qualifying sessions by a score of 7-1 and in races where both drivers finished by a score of 5-2.
Russell accumulated 54 points compared to Hamilton’s 42. Seen as Hamilton’s long-term successor, Russell views the departure as an essential evolution. “My responsibility is to beat my teammate and extract the maximum potential from the car,” Russell told the Daily Mail.
“It represents a new beginning for the team. Many people here have enjoyed success alongside Lewis, but change often sparks new enthusiasm. It will lift our spirits next year.
“Adaptation and evolution are necessary, and we are currently in the process of rebuilding from scratch. It’s beneficial that Lewis is leaving us now, rather than in 2021, as that would have posed significant challenges for the entire team.”
In mid-2023, it was announced that James Allison would be reinstated as technical director, while Mike Elliott would take on the role of chief technical director. The team abandoned the flawed zero sidepod design at the 2023 Monaco Grand Prix.
However, due to limitations, more substantial modifications could not be implemented on the W14 during the midseason. Consequently, the W15 presented the first opportunity to incorporate these changes, including adjusting the cockpit position as requested by Hamilton.
The W15 did not perform as expected, with no podiums until the third of the season. However, Mercedes is making progress, as evidenced by the introduction of a new front wing at the Monaco Grand Prix. Russell explained how the team made excessive adjustments to the current car.
“When you analyze the data and correlate it with driving experience, you understand why the last two years have been disappointing. The issues were predominantly at the rear, but now they have shifted to the front. We made changes that were too drastic.
“This shows that compromises are always necessary. We have an exceptional team, and with James [Allison] back in charge, no detail is overlooked. There is clear leadership, and although I tend to be quite rational, morale suffers when you realize it will be a challenging season.”
