Lewis Hamilton has given his view on George Russell's performance after the younger driver came out on top following their battle in the Miami Grand Prix. Russell was able to benefit from the timing of a Safety Car – following a collision between Lando Norris and Pierre Gasly on Lap 41 of 57 – to pit for Medium tyres, whilst Hamilton stayed out on an older set of Hards. This enabled Russell to close in on his Mercedes teammate in the latter stages of the race. After initially overtaking, he then gave the place back to Hamilton after leaving the track whilst making the move. However, soon afterwards Russell tried to make another pass, and this time made it stick, putting the Briton up into P5. Hamilton came home just behind in sixth.
Hamilton assesses Russell's performance
When asked about the battle, Hamilton praised Russell for performing well in the earlier stages of the race, with the 24-year-old having opted for a long first stint on the Hard tyres after lining up P12 on the grid. "George obviously did a great job in that first stint," Hamilton told media, including RacingNews365.com . "He was on the best tyre to start with, so, in hindsight, maybe we could have started on the Hard tyre. But again, he did a great job to recover from his position and get the points. "We were fifth and sixth today, it's good points for the team." In terms of Russell's overtake on him, Hamilton added: "It was fair. He had fresh tyres, so I was a bit of a sitting duck."
Still waiting for a change in fortune
It has not been an easy start to the season for Mercedes or Hamilton. The team have continued to experience issues with their car, whilst Hamilton has finished behind Russell for the past four races. However, the seven-time World Champion isn't giving up, and says that he is still waiting for his fortunes to turn around. "I'm waiting for it," Hamilton said. "But, until then, I'll keep working as hard as I can, and [keep] working with the team. "We got good points as a team today." Mercedes are currently third in the Constructors' Championship, 56 points behind Red Bull in P2.
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