George Russell says his confidence in the Mercedes Formula 1 team was boosted by Lewis Hamilton's decision to extend his own contract. During the build-up to the Italian Grand Prix weekend, Mercedes announced that both Hamilton and Russell had extended their deals until at least the end of the 2025 campaign. Hamilton's decision to commit his future to the Brackley-based squad comes amid its dip in form. The seven-time World Champion's last race win came almost two years ago, with Mercedes being unable to consistently challenge at the front of the field since the beginning of last season. Russell highlighted that it was important for Mercedes to retain its line-up in order to avoid destabilising the team. “It’s extremely important to continue with the two of us with the relationship we have,” Russell told media including RacingNews365.com. “You sometimes see when there's a change of driver pairing, the dynamic shifts slightly and it can upset a few things internally. “We know that we've never had any issues in that regard whatsoever. There's a healthy competition that's been there since day one, but we push one another in the same direction. “We've got similar feedback with regards to the car, which also helps the designers pushing in one direction.”
Russell's 'belief' in Mercedes
Russell's arrival at Mercedes fell alongside its drop in form, as the team competed and won titles every year from 2014 to 2021. However, the 25-year-old says that he has been encouraged by Mercedes' long-term future due to Hamilton's decision to stay beyond the end of the current season. “For me to see Lewis continuing, it's so important because it shows the belief he's got in the team as well,” he said. “I've got the belief in the team. But this is a guy who's won 100 races, he doesn't need to continue, he could happily hang his boots up with everything he's achieved, but he wouldn't stay if he didn't believe that the team was capable of winning again. “So I think that reinforces the confidence that I had in the team. “It's definitely a boost for everybody back at the factory and all of the partners and everybody to see that Lewis still wants to continue and believes in the team.”
Most read
