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George Russell has claimed he’s not contemplating the prospect of beating Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton in this year’s Formula 1 world championship.
Russell joined Mercedes in place of Valtteri Bottas for the 2022 season after demonstrating strong potential during his three years with Williams.
The 24-year-old Brit is regarded by many as the man to succeed Hamilton once the 37-year-old steps away from F1.
That brings with it a degree of expectation, including the ability to beat his seven-time world champion team-mate.
“It’s not even something I’m thinking about, to be honest,” Russell said when asked about the prospect of beating Hamilton at year-end.
“Everybody says their main focus is to beat their team-mate. My main focus is to win championships and to win races.
“To do that, there’s four cars ahead of both Lewis and I.
“It is truly not something I’m thinking about. I’m really just trying to work on my own game.”
Now in his 16th season of Formula 1, the last time Hamilton was bested by a team-mate was when Nico Rosberg beat him to the world championship in 2016.
Prior to that, one must go back to 2011 when Jenson Button finished second to Sebastian Vettel in that year’s drivers’ title.
“George is naturally incredibly talented, very, very focused,” Hamilton said of his impressions of working with Russell.
“So far, seems very genuine and he’s just focused on being the best team player he can be.
“It’s pleasant for everyone in the team,” he added.
“It seems very seamless [Russell’s arrival at Mercedes] and everyone’s just working, keep their heads down, and we’re working collectively as a team, and as a unit.”
Russell finished fourth on his full-time debut with Mercedes, one spot behind Hamilton but five up from where he qualified.
“He did a good he did a solid job, as expected. I’m really happy with his performance,” noted Toto Wolff, Mercedes’ team principal.
The Formula 1 season continues with the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, an event won by Hamilton when it was last staged in December 2021.
Opening practice begins at 01:00 AEDT on Saturday.
