George Russell makes emphatic 10-word comment on Lewis Hamilton complaint

George Russell has dismissed Lewis Hamilton’s claim that he’s unlikely to out-qualify his Mercedes team-mate for the remainder of the season. Russell responded by saying "Hamilton knows full well that they get the same treatment," despite the 39-year-old suggesting otherwise amid a disappointing season.

Tensions have increased between Hamilton and the Silver Arrows since his decision to join rivals Ferrari for the 2025 season. The seven-time Formula One champion conceded in May that he’d had enough of “toiling” further down the grid and blasted the Mercedes pit wall via team radio for giving poor instructions at Monaco.

“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 fumed in May. He pointed to a front wing upgrade he missed out on which he, according to Mercedes, offered to Russell as there was only one of the parts available at the time.

Now Russell, 26, has played down his childhood hero’s claim, stating that frustrations got the better of him when he made the comments. Russell told Channel 4: “I think that was probably comments in the heat of the moment," he said before adding: "because he knows full well that we get the same treatment.

"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 principal Toto Wolff agreed with Russell. Asked in May what Hamilton meant and whether his comments displayed paranoia, Wolff said: “All drivers [are] a bit sceptical at times.

“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 icon Johnny Herbert also slammed the theory that Mercedes are already overlooking the seven-time world champion. The former Lotus and Sauber driver dismissed Hamilton’s original comments as “a load of rubbish”.

Both drivers have used the front wing upgrade in question since the Canadian Grand Prix, though rumours of growing disgruntlement between Mercedes and the veteran driver remain. An unsubstantiated email last week allegedly sent by a member of Mercedes' staff suggested the manufacturer is already "sabotaging" Hamilton in the run-up to his exit. Mercedes have since been told by the police that no criminal offences were committed after the F1 team called on them to investigate.

Hamilton claimed he was unaware of the email ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix and voiced his support for Russell, describing them as always having been a “strong team”

With the conclusion of the Spanish Grand Prix, where Hamilton finished in a season-high third place, he has bested Russell in just three out of 10 races in 2024. Russell is currently seventh in the drivers’ standings with 81 points, while Hamilton has notched 70 points, placing him in eighth.