17 April 2023 , 13:51
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George Russell says he cannot help but feel inspired by Lewis Hamilton as he continues to benefit from competing alongside a Formula 1 legend.
Russell is in his second season as a Mercedes racer, having impressed in his first three F1 campaigns with Williams. Not only did he manage to compete well alongside Hamilton last year, but he finished 35 points ahead and took the team's only victory of the year.
It has certainly not been easy for the 25-year-old. He joined the Silver Arrows expecting to have a chance to fight for race wins and titles from the get-go – a reasonable expectation given how dominant the team had been.
But that would not be his first experience of being a Mercedes driver. His move coincided with a dip in the team's fortunes with the W13 not competitive enough to compete for regular victories, while its successor looks unlikely to trouble the Red Bull machines again this year.
Despite those relative struggles for Mercedes, Russell has caught the eye with his performances and results. And, speaking to Square Mile, he credited Hamilton with helping him to settle in so quickly.
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"I think he's a very good people person," said Russell of his more experienced team-mate. "He's very good at getting the most out of the people around him, motivating the team.
Russell beat Hamilton to Mercedes' only race win of 2022 in Brazil (AFP via Getty Images)"He's very resilient, he's always pushing himself further. And he has a lot of hobbies as well away from the sport, which I think is really interesting because it allowed him to take his mind away from the racing and to be in a better head space for when he comes back.
"We're obviously at very different stages of our career, but I'm definitely taking inspiration from how he conducts himself, how he approaches his racing and how he approaches his life. He's very impressive."
Three races into the new season, and Hamilton is 20 points ahead of his team-mate. The gap would be much more narrow, however, had the younger Brit not suffered an engine failure which meant he took no points home from the Australian Grand Prix.
In their other two outings in 2023 there was little to split them. Hamilton finished fifth in Bahrain with Russell seventh, though the order was reversed the following race weekend when the latter crossed the line fourth with his team-mate one place behind.