British driver George Russell is looking to become the first Formula 1 driver to ever outscore Lewis Hamilton as his teammate in consecutive seasons.
Russell finished the 2022 season in P4 with 275 points, with Hamilton back in P6 on 240 points.
The 25-year-old driver has outqualified his teammate in every race of the season so far, living up to his nickname of ‘Mr Saturday’.
“George is doing that very well at the moment. Does the car suit him more? Maybe, but I don’t think that’s really the story,” former racing driver Billy Monger told Mirror Sport.
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“The story is that they’re not competitive, but George is getting stronger and stronger.
“Lewis, as a human, he will always be frustrated that he’s still not beating him every time he goes on the track like he’s used to.
“It’s a totally different scenario and there’s a changing of the guard at this present time, with the younger generation getting stronger and stronger,” he added.
“But it also goes back to [Russell’s performance] last season in Brazil.
“George had a cracking race that weekend, he’s been showing the signs we saw many times last season where he was showing his raw pace and, when the opportunity came, he damn delivered.
“That’s the thing that Lewis will always look at and think, ‘This guy is a threat. This guy is difficult’,” he explained.
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“The reality is, [your teammate] is the only person you can be compared to on a fair basis, so that’s the number one person you’re worried about beating,” Monger said
After Russell suffered an engine failure at the Australian Grand Prix, Hamilton took a 20-point lead over his teammate.
The seven-time world champion will be hoping that, if he can’t fight for the world championship, he can show he is the top driver at Mercedes, cementing his status as the team’s star.