In his Lewis Hamilton F1 GOAT judgment, George Russell makes Max Verstappen admission

Russell is paired with Hamilton, a seven-time world champion at Mercedes, but Verstappen is currently sweeping the F1 landscape, making this one of the Brit’s leaner seasons.

Lewis Hamilton is the best Formula 1 driver ever, but George Russell would still prefer Max Verstappen as his teammate.

Hamilton and Russell have worked together for the past two years.
However, his switch to Mercedes came at a particularly difficult time for the team and the seven-time world champion.

Mercedes is no longer as competitive as it once was, and Red Bull is now the dominant force in the sport. The Silver Arrows have only been victorious once in the past two seasons, at the Brazilian Grand Prix last year when Russell won his first Formula One race, while Hamilton’s personal winless streak dates back to the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in 2021.

Russell has been in awe of what his teammate is capable of, even though the Hamilton he has observed up close may not always be at the top of his game.
Working closely with the 38-year-old also presents a rare learning opportunity that few other drivers have experienced.

Russell has had his opinion of Hamilton and where he ranks among the best F1 drivers the sport has ever produced confirmed by this.
The 25-year-old told RaceFans that he was without a doubt the greatest athlete of all time.

On and off the track, I pick up a lot of knowledge from him.
He appears to be craving more, in my opinion.
He is driven to pursue winning more competitions.
I’m driven to accomplish that and defeat him.

“If Lewis weren’t my teammate, who would I want it to be?
Someone once asked me that. I replied Max because Lewis was and still is the best driver of all time when I joined Mercedes.
He is the best and fastest driver on the grid, in your opinion.

“I still have the opportunity to square off against him every week.
The reason you want to compete against the best is that you believe in yourself and want to show what you’re capable of to those around you.
By competing against the best in the industry, you earn that respect.
“.

Russell hasn’t yet had a chance to demonstrate his own title credentials after moving to Mercedes. Russell remained patient and cited other instances of drivers who were forced to wait before filling their boots, even though his experience may not have been what he had anticipated when he was given the seat.

You undoubtedly imagine getting in the car and simply winning every race, but nobody’s life is like that, he said. Even Max took three and a half to four years at Red Bull before he had the opportunity to actually compete for a championship.

“And just like [Michael] Schumacher, it took him four years after joining Ferrari before he was crowned champion.
While everyone thinks of him as the man who “was” Ferrari dominance and won everything, it actually took him four or five years to achieve that success there.

“I have a lot of faith.
There is nowhere else I would rather be.
Being a Mercedes driver makes me extremely happy. I feel almost obligated to repay their faith in me with loyalty, my best effort, and ultimately by helping them win a championship. That is both my hope and my dream.
“.