George Russell has backed Lewis Hamilton and snapped at the suggestion his team-mate has mentally checked-out at Mercedes ahead of his impending exit.
Seven-time F1 champion Hamilton will leave the Silver Arrows at the end of the year to join Ferrari. But his final season with his long-time employers has got off to a wretched start with just eight points to show for his first three races.
Russell has fared better with 18 points to his name, and lost the chance to extend that lead over his fellow Briton by crashing late in last weekend's Australian Grand Prix. Hamilton's lack of competitiveness in comparison has led to some criticism.
David Coulthard was one of those to weigh in and said: "He's just not been settled with this car and you can tell, you know, George is just honing the lap time right now and you can feel that Lewis is on the back foot.
"What we do know though, if he does find a window of performance, then you know he will deliver. But right now, it's looking like his decision to head off to Ferrari, mentally, he is already there."
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As he continues to work with Hamilton, though, Russell insists he has seen nothing to suggest his team-mate is not giving his all. The 26-year-old said: "I think since Lewis' news, I think Lewis has been incredibly professional with the team and the working relationship with everybody within Mercedes is like nothing has changed whatsoever.
"And the team have been so great. They've given us both equal opportunities. It's always been that from the outset. And whenever upgrades are bringing [sic] to the car, it's going to both of us at the same time, whereas other teams they go one before the other.
"And that’s always the way at Mercedes. They want to give both drivers the best chance of achieving the best results and then going into next year, no matter who my team-mate is going to be, that will still continue to be the same."
Russell signed a contract which keeps him with the Silver Arrows until the end of the 2025 season and team principal Toto Wolff has backed the Briton to lead the team into its post-Hamilton future. Who will line up alongside Russell from next year, though, remains a mystery.
Teenager Andrea Kimi Antonelli is highly-rated by Wolff and will undergo a rigorous testing programme this year to assess whether he is ready to make the step up to F1. If not, then a more experienced option such as Fernando Alonso could be brought in to hold the seat until the Italian starlet is deemed to be ready.
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