F1 News: Lewis Hamilton Hints at Mercedes Unrest - 'I Don't Anticipate Being Ahead of George'

Lewis Hamilton has hinted at exclusion within Mercedes with him moving to Ferrari next season.

2024 Bahrain Test, Day 3 - Lewis Hamilton / Jiri Krenek/Mercedes

In a twist that echoes a soap opera more than a sports franchise, Lewis Hamilton's early announcement of his switch to Ferrari for 2024 has ignited speculation around internal frictions within Mercedes. And now, a recent interview between Sky Sports F1 and the 7-time world champion has sparked questions about potential friction within the squad.

The Briton's decision to join Ferrari came to light sooner than typical, prompting various theories about the reasons behind the timing. But making things worse, it meant that his relationship with the team had changed from race one, with the squad eventually needing to separate the driver from their development.

This exclusion seemingly prioritizes George Russell, marking a significant pivot in team dynamics. Today, it looks like this has now come to the surface, although it's not confirmed by the team.

Hamilton's acknowledgment of this situation was palpable following the Monaco Grand Prix where he conceded the likelihood of consistently being out-qualified by Russell throughout the season.

“We just got to keep on pushing. We’ll slowly get closer through the year as more upgrades come. I don’t anticipate being ahead of George in qualifying, particularly this year. But we just gotta keep pushing. The races are strong,” he admitted on the Sky Sports F1 broadcast. When probed further, Hamilton simply added, “We’ll see.”

   

Further underscoring the competitive challenges within Mercedes, Hamilton pointed out at the Imola Grand Prix that while the team did progress, it was relatively minimal compared to the leaps made by rivals McLaren and Ferrari.

“We’ve taken a small step forward this weekend and we have improved. Unfortunately, that is slightly masked by the step forward others such as McLaren and Ferrari have taken. We will keep pushing to bring more updates that can add performance. Until then, we will make sure we are scoring as many points as we can,” Hamilton elaborated.