George Russell helped convince Lewis Hamilton to sign new Mercedes F1 contract
Lewis Hamilton commits to Mercedes until 2025
Lewis Hamilton has admitted he was partly motivated to extend his Mercedes career by his rivalry with team-mate George Russell. The 38-year-old F1 ace will race for the Silver Arrows until the end of 2025 after penning a new contract at the end of August.
Hamilton is the joint most successful F1 driver of all time alongside Michael Schumacher, with the duo both winning seven world titles. But the Briton has suffered a downturn in fortunes over the last two years as his Mercedes car has been unable to compete with Red Bull.
Hamilton had been tipped to retire at the end of his previous contract, which ran until the end of this year, but has instead decided to continue racing.
And the blockbuster driver, who will turn 40 before the 2025 season gets underway, told Swiss publication Blick: “I have to admit that I underestimated my love for this sport. But it’s become a love-hate story. There are days when I would prefer not to get into the cockpit. The duels with my team-mate George also give me motivation. You always have to be wide awake.”
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Russell joined Mercedes ahead of the 2022 season and proceeded to finish two places ahead of sixth-place Hamilton in his maiden campaign. But Hamilton has reasserted himself as Mercedes’ top dog this time around and is currently third in the Drivers’ Championship standings, with Russell lagging behind in eighth.
Of the 38 Grands Prix since F1 regulation changes were introduced ahead of last season, Red Bull have won all but six of them, with Max Verstappen tasting victory an incredible 28 times and Sergio Perez crossing the chequered flag first on four occasions.
Russell was victorious at the Brazilian Grand Prix last season, with Hamilton failing to win a race since the 2021 season. But the Stevenage-born veteran has at least claimed five podium finishes this year compared to Russell’s one.
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“We will come back,” Hamilton added. “We can do it. The next step on the top pedestal will come. And it will probably be my biggest triumph in my career.
“All the drivers who are here are doing a good job. But they all have different prerequisites, hopes and challenges. But I see a lot of parallels between the young drivers and the young Lewis. That’s just great. Fernando [Alonso], Max and I are usually competitive and go the furthest way to achieve our goals. I can’t say anything about their personalities, I’ve never sat in their living rooms.”
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