George Russell has emphasized that despite multiple collisions with Lewis Hamilton during the 2023 season, there is still trust between them, dispelling any notion of tension as they approach the 2024 season.
While Russell finished ahead of Hamilton in the 2022 Drivers’ Championship, making him only the third teammate of the seven-time World Champion to achieve this, the 2023 season was challenging for Russell. The duo had three notable incidents during the season, with one resulting in Hamilton’s retirement.
The first incident occurred at the Spanish Grand Prix early in the 2023 season when the two Mercedes drivers collided on the start/finish straight. Russell moved across without realizing Hamilton was already there, leading to contact that sent Hamilton onto the grass at high speed. Fortunately, both drivers escaped unharmed.
Towards the end of the season at the Japanese Grand Prix, another incident unfolded as Hamilton went wide at Spoon Curve, causing both drivers to go off the circuit. Once again, they both escaped without injuries, although Russell questioned the situation.
The Qatar Grand Prix marked the opening lap collision that resulted in Hamilton retiring from the race. While that incident was Hamilton’s fault, it highlighted the closeness of their competition.
Despite these challenges, Russell believes that they always “give each other enough space to fight,” indicating that trust remains intact between him and Hamilton.
“I think also we trust one another. There may be tense [moments], it may be hard, but we trust one another,” Russell said, as reported by FormulaNerds.
“We know that we’ll give each other enough space to fight necessarily and not go beyond the limit.”
Russell added: “Obviously, Qatar was just a bit of a lap one small misjudgement. That’s another opportunity where it was another podium or even a potential victory missed.”
