George Russell has shut down Lewis Hamilton 's claim that he’s unlikely to out-qualify his Mercedes team-mate for the rest of the Formula One season.
Russell stated "Hamilton knows full well that we get the same treatment”, despite the 39-year-old's comments suggesting otherwise amid another frustrating season for the veteran.
The tension between Hamilton and his team has been clear to see since he announced his move to Ferrari at the end of the current season. He expressed his frustration with Mercedes in May, saying he’d had enough of “toiling” further down the grid and slammed the team's strategy at the Monaco Grand Prix over the radio.
"I don't anticipate being ahead of George in qualifying, particularly this year, but we've just got to keep pushing, and the races are strong," Hamilton vented. His comments were in relation to missing out on a new front wing, which he allowed Russell to take as there was just one available at the time.
Russell, 26, has now played down Hamilton's earlier remarks by claiming his frustrations got the better of him during the rant. Speaking to Channel 4, Russell said: "I think that was probably comments in the heat of the moment because he knows full well that we get the same treatment.
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"Lewis is a winner, and of course these years have been frustrating for all of us, but especially for him. He's been used to winning every single season he competes in, and hasn't won in three years. So as I said, it's frustrating for him, it's frustrating for all of us, but I'm sure he didn't mean it as it came across."
Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff echoed those sentiments. Asked back in May about whether Hamilton’s remarks indicated a hint of paranoia, Wolff said: "All drivers [are] a bit sceptical at times.
Lewis Hamilton suggested Mercedes were not prioritising him for the rest of the season ((Image: Getty))"I think as a team, we've demonstrated that even in the most tense competitions between team-mates, we are trying to always balance it right and be transparent and fair.
"I can understand as a driver, you want the best out of yourself and the team, [and] sometimes when it's going against you, you can question it. As a team we are 100 per cent on a mission of giving the two drivers two great cars, the best possible cars, and the best possible strategies and support."
F1 legend Johnny Herbert also dismissed the theory that Mercedes are neglecting the seven-time world champion. The former Lotus and Sauber driver described Hamilton's comments as "a load of rubbish".
Both drivers have been using the front wing upgrade since the Canadian Grand Prix, but whispers of increasing tension between Mercedes and the seasoned driver persist. An unverified email allegedly sent by a staff member last week suggested that the manufacturer is already "sabotaging" Hamilton ahead of his departure.
Lewis Hamilton [L] has been outperformed by George Russell [R] this year ((Image: Getty))Mercedes have since been told by the police that no criminal offences were committed after the F1 team called on them to investigate. Hamilton, unaware of the email before the Spanish Grand Prix, expressed his support for Russell, saying they've always been a "strong team".
With the conclusion of the Spanish Grand Prix, where Hamilton secured a season-best third place finish, he has only outperformed Russell in three of the 10 races in 2024. Russell sits seventh in the drivers' standings with 81 points while Hamilton trails with 70 points, putting him in eighth place.
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