SUMMARY
- Lewis Hamilton fans get offended by Russell's latest comment on the Mercedes W15.
- Back in 2023, Hamilton openly admitted that Mercedes refused to listen to his suggestions.
When Mercedes signed George Russell in 2022, the entire motorsport world anticipated an inseparable bromance between the young British rookie and his fellow seven-time world champion teammate, Lewis Hamilton. However, in reality, there has only always been a touch of resentment between the British pair.
Furthermore, by the looks of it, 2024 could unearth yet another bitter chapter; at least, the diehard fans of Hamilton believe so. Heading into the Bahrain Grand Prix, Russell has inadvertently triggered the entire Hamilton fanbase with a factual statement. While it wasn’t the comment itself that provoked the fans, it’s the timing of his acknowledgment that has seemingly raised suspicion among netizens.
During the pre-weekend press conference in Sakhir, Russell opened up about Mercedes’ newly built challenger, W15, and how Hamilton plays a crucial role in it. The Briton revealed that, after nearly a year of denial, Mercedes had finally obliged to build the car around Hamilton’s interests. Of course, one might wonder why such a positive statement would cause a rift among the fanbase.
Well, according to some fans, Russell is trying to shield himself from potential criticisms if Mercedes fails to perform well this year.
George Russell suffers heavy criticism on social media after the latest Lewis Hamilton revelation
After an entire season of bemoaning and cries, Mercedes finally acknowledged incorporating Hamilton’s ideas in the W15. And Russell pretty much revealed the news ahead of the opening race weekend in Bahrain. Unfortunately for the young British driver, that has only gotten him into trouble.
#F1 | George Russell says that Mercedes listened to Lewis Hamilton and that the W15 has been designed around Hamilton’s wishes after they both struggled with its predecessor.
“Obviously with Lewis’ experience, the car has been designed around his wishes with the car being sat… pic.twitter.com/Y5xB8fOzXU
— deni (@fiagirly) February 29, 2024
“Obviously with Lewis’ experience, the car has been designed around his wishes with the car being sat further rearwards than we were last year, the Red Bull-esque sidepods on the side, and a slightly different steering rack. So, it’s good that the team have sort of been listening to that, but we need to see if that translates into lap time,” he said.
Soon after, comments began swarming on social media, with one fan saying, “GR is nasty” while another fan wrote, “My God, he is really showing his real colours, isn’t he? If the car is rubbish he can blame Lewis it seems.” One can sense the disappointed tone in the anonymous users on X. But, let’s hear from you; do you think Russell had a cynical intention behind his latest revelation?