Mercedes driver George Russell has asserted that his teammate Lewis Hamilton would not have considered signing with Ferrari for 2025 and beyond if Mercedes had been in its current excellent form back in the days.
Mercedes’ recent resurgence and promising pace, underscored by back-to-back victories, have significantly bolstered the team’s standing.
Hamilton joined Mercedes in 2013 after securing his first title with McLaren, and since then, he has enjoyed a remarkable career.
He clinched six more titles with the team before encountering a performance roadblock in 2022, marking the onset of the ground-effect era in Formula 1.
The seven-time world champion gave it his best shot but failed to secure race wins as Mercedes struggled to design a potent car for the current era that was capable of winning races.
Thus, early this year, Hamilton announced his move to Ferrari for the upcoming season, hoping that the Maranello outfit could provide him with a car quick enough to help him secure his eighth title.
However, with Mercedes’ recent resurgence appearing as a glimmer of hope, Hamilton ended his 2.5-year winless streak with the W15 F1 car by clinching victory at the British Grand Prix.
Russell, who won the Austrian Grand Prix a week prior, believes that there was ‘no way’ Hamilton would’ve left Mercedes if the team was performing this way before he made the decision. He told Reuters:
“I don’t think he would have left if the team was performing like this.
“No way he would have left, for sure not.
“For 2026 the PU (power unit)’s looking really strong and everything we’re doing with the fuels is looking great and there’s a lot of optimism for us over the next couple of years.
“As tough as these last few years have been, it really feels like we’ve got the momentum with us now.”
Understanding his 39-year-old teammate, Russell believes that after 12 years with Mercedes, Hamilton might have felt the need for a change. He added:
“I think everybody wants change at some point.
“He’s been here 12 years now, he’s achieved so much with the team. I think for him it’s exciting to have that change.
“But of course if the team you’re currently with are winning races and everything is looking super-great for the future, you just want to be in the fastest car possible and it doesn’t matter what color that is.”
