Russell: Mercedes “very much excited” for life after Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton has been the only story in town over the winter amid his move to Ferrari, and left big boots to fill at Mercedes – not just in terms of marketing heft as a seven-time world champion, but also in leadership.

Hamilton was renowned for his regular factory visits to rally the troops when the team was struggling on track, and for his demanding approach to technical development.

However, the Mercedes squad has begun a new chapter with Hamilton’s former team-mate George Russell and rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli, with the younger Briton stating that the atmosphere is bullish at Brackley.

“Naturally, it does feel different, of course,” said Russell during a break in day one of testing in Bahrain.

“Lewis is such a huge personality on and off the track, but I think everybody within the team is very much excited for this next chapter, really.

“And as the team may look back on fond memories, I also feel grateful to have had that chance – being his team-mate for three years and learning so much from him, but also going head-to-head with him directly.”

Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari

Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images

Russell had yet to take to the track when he said this, since new team-mate Antonelli drove the new W16 throughout the morning session, clocking the most laps (78) of all drivers and the fastest lap time – not that timings are necessarily significant at this stage in testing.

Ever since Hamilton announced his departure for Ferrari, conversations have centred on what Mercedes is losing, and what it might already have lost. Dominant during the hybrid-engine era which began in 2014, it has struggled since the introduction of the ground-effect aerodynamics philosophy in 2022.

Having an uncompetitive car the team appeared unable to fix seemed to weigh on Hamilton, as did the aftermath of the controversial 2021 season finale where he effectively lost the world championship on the final lap due to a controversial decision by race control.

Last season Russell outscored Hamilton in the drivers’ championship rankings and, perhaps more significantly, outqualified him 24 out of 30 times. That’s an impressive feat against someone with 104 pole positions to his name.

Perhaps that accounts for Russell’s air of quiet confidence, as well as his carefully political phrasing, when asked about what life without Lewis feels like at Mercedes.

“It kind of feels like the end of a chapter,” he said. “But then you’re looking forward to the next journey. So it’s very much for us at Mercedes, we’re looking forward and not backwards.”

Photos from the Bahrain Pre-Season Testing