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FORMULA ONE

Hamilton’s confession that leaves him in a bad place

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Lewis Hamilton has revealed that he does not like to participate in F1 tests. The seven-time champion has gone even further in exposing his particular phobia to the classic tests to improve the Mercedes.

During an event in Brackley, Toto Wolff, Mick Schumacher (reserve of the star squad) and Hamilton himself appeared before the assembled crowd and at that moment everyone wondered where the absent George Russell was. The excuse was given that the young British talent was ill… when he was not.

Afterwards, ’44’ took advantage of the juncture to make a surprising confession. “When Toto said on our visit to the factory that George was ill, something came into my head that had to do with me. That’s something I’ve done in the past to miss test days, as it’s not something I like. So when I heard that, I thought, ‘He’s outdone me, he’s gone to another level,'” Lewis said in a statement reported by RaceFans.

Lewis’ win drought

The fact is that the 38-year-old competitor needs to get his act together if he wants to return to past glories. He has not won a race for two years (his last triumph dates back to 2021, when he won the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix) and needs Mercedes to get it right once and for all with the new single-seater. Incidentally, the 2024 W15 will be unveiled on Tuesday, February 14 next year.

Precisely, Valentine’s Day is also the date chosen by McLaren for the unveiling of the car to be driven by Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.

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FORMULA ONE

George Russell sent Lewis Hamilton warning shot ahead of fresh Mercedes battle

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George Russell and Lewis Hamilton have shared some intense battles since partnering up at Mercedes, both on track and in the standings.

F1 Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi - Previews

Lewis Hamilton had the better of his team-mate throughout the 2023 season (Image: Getty)

Lewis Hamilton will beat George Russell in the Drivers’ Championship standings for the second season running in 2024, according to Express Sport readers. The seven-time world champion enjoyed the better of the team-mate battle at Mercedes in 2023.

When Russell arrived at Mercedes as Valtteri Bottas’ replacement ahead of the 2022 season, he was billed as a future world champion, and his one-off outing for the team at the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix suggested that he had the potential to be a threat to his legendary team-mate right out of the blocks.

This transpired to be true as Russell finished in the top five at 15 of the first 16 races of the season, demonstrating staggering consistency. Hamilton, meanwhile, struggled with the unpredictable balance of the W13, while also taking a more experimental approach to race-day set-ups as Mercedes attempted to solve their extreme porpoising issues.

A first-ever Grand Prix victory arrived in Sao Paulo as Russell led home a one-two finish for the team before a mechanical DNF in Abu Dhabi sealed Hamilton’s fate in the head-to-head battle. When the chequered flag waved at the Yas Marina Circuit, the 25-year-old was 35 points clear of the seven-time world champion in the standings.

Despite this setback, Hamilton roared back in 2023, finishing in the top ten of every race in which he was classified as he sealed third place in the Drivers’ Championship with one round to spare. Russell, meanwhile, ended the year down in eighth place with just two podium finishes to his name following a messy campaign.

Following a survey of 5,791 Express Sport readers, 60 per cent believe that Russell will finish behind Hamilton again when the 2024 season comes to an end next December. Furthermore, 57 per cent of those questioned believe that he will never win a Drivers’ Championship title during his Mercedes career.

Russell has been self-aware regarding his struggles in 2023. Speaking to Motor Sport, he explained: “No doubt, it’s been probably the toughest season I’ve ever had psychologically. Bouncing back from missed opportunities, missed results, mistakes.

F1 Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi - Practice

George Russell was beaten by Lewis Hamilton throughout the 2023 campaign (Image: Getty)

“I think this is when you push yourself. I could comfortably lift my foot off the gas pedal and drive a per cent below the limit and I could sit here right now and tell you that I wouldn’t make a single mistake.

“And probably when I sit through my Championship years, I probably wasn’t being pushed as much as I’m pushing myself now. I’m purposely trying to push myself further and beyond, and I’m not satisfied with just being on par with my team-mate in qualifying or whatever it may be.”

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FORMULA ONE

Toto Wolff reveals Lewis Hamilton and George Russell’s biggest challenge in 2024

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Lewis Hamilton and George Russell will be desperate for Mercedes to improve next season.

Toto Wolff wants Lewis Hamilton and George Russell to set the right expectations next year

Toto Wolff wants Lewis Hamilton and George Russell to set the right expectations next year (Image: MERCEDES)

Toto Wolff has insisted that Lewis Hamilton and George Russell will need to manage their expectations in order to help Mercedes close the gap to Red Bull next year. The Silver Arrows have lagged well behind their rivals over the last two seasons, with Red Bull simply in a league of their own as things stand.

Mercedes ended up finishing 451 points adrift of Red Bull in the Constructors’ Championship standings last season after failing to win a single Grand Prix all year long. They will be desperate to perform better at the next time of asking but will face a tricky task in closing down their bitter rivals at the front of the pecking order.

Wolff believes that Mercedes will need to set the right standards in order to stand the best chance of catching up, with the Silver Arrows taking plenty of ‘proactive steps’ behind the scenes.

The Silver Arrows have lagged behind Red Bull for the last two seasons

The Silver Arrows have lagged behind Red Bull for the last two seasons (Image: GETTY)

Quizzed on what his team’s biggest challenge will be in 2024, Wolff told Mercedes’ official channels: “It’s to set the expectations right because we have a huge mountain to climb. There’s a team that is so successful and we have a big gap to close. At the same time, I believe we’ve taken some proactive steps to close that gap.

“Is it going to be good enough? I don’t know, but we’re going to see it in testing and then in the first race in Bahrain. I’m super excited. I’d like to start going now. It’s the stopwatch that’s going to tell us what job we’ve done.”

It remains to be seen if Mercedes will fare better in 2024 after enduring another difficult campaign over the last 12 months. They finished the season on a high by beating Ferrari to second place in the Constructors’ Championship standings but they will be determined to put a greater deal of pressure on Red Bull next time around.

Wolff and Mercedes will have the opportunity to make a fresh start next year

Wolff and Mercedes will have the opportunity to make a fresh start next year (Image: GETTY)

“We learned a lot,” added Wolff as he reflected on last season. “The races and the seasons that are difficult are the ones where you learn the most, and we always say, the days we lose are the days our competitors are going to regret because we learn the most.

“I think there are so many lessons that we learned as an organisation, as humans, but also technically that will be beneficial going forward. I wouldn’t be able to pick one out, though, because there are so many things that we have looked at that will help us progress over the next year.”

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