Mercedes-Benz

LEWIS HAMILTON is confident his working relationship will thrive with George Russell in 2023. The Mercedes team-mates have endured a tough season after being dealt with an underperforming car in the first half of this season.
Lewis Hamilton and George Russell celebrated Mercedes’ first race win of the season in BrazilCredit: EPA
However, a recent upturn in form led to Russell landing his team’s first race win of the year – and the first of his career – in Brazil on Sunday.
Hamilton, 37, has just one chance left to end his barren run – he has claimed at least one chequered flag in all of his seasons in F1.
But after seeing his fellow Brit claim victory at the weekend as he finished second, Hamilton believes the pair will cope with future problems.
The seven-time world champion said: “I’m a lot older and I’ve been with the team so long.
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“So managing whatever challenges we come up with moving forward, we’ve been through so much that I don’t think it’s going to be a problem.”
Hamilton added: “I’ve seen what he did at Williams.
“I think naturally you have to say it’s impressive what he’s done this year, the consistency he’s had, how he’s arrived and just hit the ground running.
“It’s not like he arrived in a completely brand new team.
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“The previous couple of years he was sitting right behind me watching the work that I was doing with the engineers, with Riki (Riccardo Musconi), who is now his number one.
“It’s been super easy to blend in.
“He uses my steering wheel, and he’s obviously got to do the test days prior to the year, so I think he’s just blended in perfectly and he’s been a positive force in the team.
“He’s helped keep the equilibrium in the team, in terms of the working relationship I think it’s strong.”
Russell, 24, enjoyed a perfect weekend as he claimed the victory in the sprint and also the fastest lap.
TEARS OF JOY
It was an emotional weekend for the King’s Lynn ace who was in tears within seconds of crossing the line in Sao Paulo.
Reflecting on his first year in the Mercedes car, Russell said: “In some ways I’ve felt like a bit of a rookie this year because the level at which this team operates on is a level that I’ve never experienced before, and I’m talking about things that I’d never even heard of in F1 before.
“That took me some time to learn and understand how to get the most out of the team, out of the car.
“The capability within this team is huge and the potential is huge, and learning to use all the resources at our disposal to bring more performance, is a lot more than I’ve ever been used to and it took me a little bit of a while to wrap my head around that.”
Russell and Hamilton go to Abu Dhabi for the final race of the 2022 season hopeful of overtaking Ferrari into second in the constructors’ championship.
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Russell is fourth in the driver standings, 25 points behind Charles Leclerc and Sergio Perez who are tied on 290.
Another race win and fastest lap would see the Brit overtake the Ferrari and Red Bull men into second if they both fail to pick up any points. More

LEWIS HAMILTON has slammed Max Verstappen after the pair crashed again at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.The sight of the Mercedes and Red Bull coming together became a regular feature of last season’s fiercely-contested title fight.
An incident-filled race saw Verstappen and Hamilton go at it hammer and tongs in BrazilCredit: Splash
It had appeared like the rivalry between these two had cooled but once again they crashed yesterdayCredit: Rex
They’ve kept it fairly clean this year with Hamilton unable to keep up with Verstappen until recent weeks.
But old rivalries reared their ugly heads against yesterday as the pair had a dramatic coming together at the ‘Senna S’ turn in Brazil.
Both appeared to sustain damage and lost positions after the crash, with Verstappen forced to pit for a new front nose.
The Dutchman was given a five-second time penalty for the confrontation and Hamilton was again displeased with his rival’s driving.
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Discussing the incident after the race, he said simply: “What can I say? You know how it is with Max.”
Their collision came after a safety car restart as the field was bunched together following Friday’s qualification hero Kevin Magnussen being clattered twice by Daniel Ricciardo.
And further crash drama was to follow as Lando Norris punted Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari into the wall.
Tiptoeing through the carnage was George Russell with the emotional Brit securing his first ever race win.
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But Hamilton and Verstappen were left reflecting on what could have been after the early contact damaged both of their races.
The collision gave F1 fans flashbacks to last year when their championship fight was punctuated by high-speed crashes, dangerous close-range collisions and heart-stopping near misses.
Most notable was their terrifying smash at the British Grand Prix as Hamilton sent Verstappen flying into the barriers at frightening speed on the opening lap.
A few months later the Red Bull driver ended up on top of the Mercedes man’s car after Verstappen misjudged a move at Monza.
The seven-times World Champion would then go into the back of the 25-year-old’s motor later in the season as tensions overflowed during a frantic Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
And at the Sao Paulo race last year, Hamilton was memorably forced wide by Verstappen or they would have made contact again. More

GEORGE RUSSELL choked back the tears after winning his first F1 GP – denying Lewis Hamilton what would have been a dream victory in Brazil.Take nothing away from the 24-year-old from King’s Lynn, he was coolness personified in Sao Paulo to take the chequered flag.
An emotional George Russell reflected on his victory after the raceCredit: AFP
The 24-year-old almost had his first victory two years earlier when he stood in for a Covid-struck Hamilton at the 2020 Sakhir Grand PrixCredit: Reuters
George Russell came under pressure from his teammate Lewis Hamilton in the closing stagesCredit: Rex
Russell, who had won the 24-lap sprint race the previous day, converted his pole to victory, while Hamilton was second after banging wheel with bitter rival Max Verstappen.
Russell said: “What an amazing feeling. A huge thank you to the whole team for making it possible. It was an emotional roller coaster.
“I felt in control but Lewis was super fast and I was under so much pressure, I am so happy to come away with the victory.
“I am speechless. On the in-lap all these memories came flooding back from when I started out karting with my mum and dad in karting…I am so proud.”
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Hamilton, who was made an honorary citizen of Brazil, was quick to praise his Mercedes teammate, but stopped short of commenting on his incident with Verstappen.
He added: “Congrats to George, what an amazing drive. He had an amazing race on Saturday and fully deserved it.
“To my team, so proud of everyone back at the factory and here. This is an incredible result.
“We’ve worked so hard through this year to get a 1-2 and to get a win, and so this is hugely deserved by everybody so a huge thank you.”What can I say, you know how it is with Max…”
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It was a thrilling race and saw another clash between Verstappen and Hamilton, who banged wheels – with the Dutchman slapped with a five second penalty for causing the collision.
The flashpoint happened after Daniel Ricciardo drove into the back of Kevin Magnussen. The Dane was sent into a spin and clattered back into the Aussie.
The safety car was deployed while the marshals recovered the stricken cars and when the racing resumed, Russell made the perfect getaway.
But that was not the case for Hamilton, who was caught by Verstappen at turn one, with the two clashing, banging wheel and Hamilton being forced onto the escape road.
Verstappen was forced to pit for a new nose and front wing while Hamilton continued but with a chunk of damage to his car.
There was then another collision on lap seven as Lando Norris made contact with Charles Leclerc, sending the Ferrari man into the barriers.
While out in front, Russell remained unchallenged as he was able to hold off the threat of Sergio Perez, despite a quicker pitstop by the Red Bull team.
Hamilton was the last to stop of the front runners on lap 30 for a set of slower medium tyres, but that did not stop him hunting down Sainz in third place.
Mercedes’ 1-2 brought to an end a season’s worth of strugglesCredit: EPA
When the Spaniard made his second stop of the race, that promoted Hamilton into third. Hamilton made it into second with a textbook over take of Perez into turn one on lap 45.
But another safety car threw another element into this pulsating contest when Norris’s McLaren conked out on lap 52.
Russell sent an inquisitive message to his team asking what the plan was for the restart in the hope of hearing that Hamilton would be told to hold station.

But he received the news he must have been dreading – that the two would be racing for the win to the finishing line.
When the safety car came in and the racing resumed on lap 60, Russell was able to hold off the threat of Hamilton.
And he made it to the finishing line with Hamilton placed in second – despite running down in 10th place after his clash with Verstappen.
Sainz was third in his Ferrari while Leclerc was fourth, despite his best efforts to get ahead of his teammate.
But Verstappen DEFIED Red Bull’s request to swap places with Perez, to boost the Mexican’s chances of finishing runner-up in the drivers’ championship.
When asked why he IGNORED the team, Verstappen snapped back and said: “I told you already last time.
“You guys don’t ask that again to me, OK? Are we clear about that? I gave my reasons and I stand by it.” More

GEORGE RUSSELL won his first F1 GP – denying Lewis Hamilton what would have been a dream victory in Brazil.But take nothing away from the 24-year-old from King’s Lynn, he was coolness personified in Sao Paulo to take the chequered flag.
George Russell registered his first ever F1 race win in BrazilCredit: AFP
Lewis Hamilton came second for a Mercedes one-twoCredit: AFP
Russell and Hamilton embraced after the raceCredit: Getty
Russell looked emotional after his first ever winCredit: Getty
Russell, who had won the 24-lap sprint race the previous day, converted his pole to victory, while Hamilton was second after banging wheels with bitter rival Max Verstappen.
It was a thrilling race from the start as Verstappen and Hamilton clashed, with the Dutchman slapped with a five second penalty for causing the collision.
The flashpoint happened after Daniel Ricciardo drove into the back of Kevin Magnussen.
The Dane was sent into a spin and clattered back into the Aussie.
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The safety car was deployed while the marshals recovered the stricken cars and when the racing resumed, Russell made the perfect getaway.
But that was not the case for Hamilton, who was caught by Verstappen at turn one, with the two clashing, banging wheel and Hamilton being forced onto the escape road.
Verstappen was forced to pit for a new nose and front wing while Hamilton continued but with a chunk of damage to his car.
Verstappen was hit with a time penalty and radioed his team saying: “Where did they expect me to go? He just closed the door on me…It doesn’t matter.”
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There was then another collision on lap seven as Lando Norris made contact with Charles Leclerc, sending the Ferrari man into the barriers.
Out in front, Russell remained unchallenged as he was able to hold off the threat of Sergio Perez, despite a quicker pitstop by the Red Bull team.
Hamilton was the last to stop of the front runners on lap 30 for a set of slower medium tyres, but that did not stop him hunting down Sainz in third place.
When the Spaniard made his second stop of the race, that promoted Hamilton into third place.
Hamilton made it into second with a textbook over take of Perez into turn one on lap 45.
But he was called in for a pitstop on lap 49 – despite his insistence that his tyres were all good.
Unhappy Hamilton was overruled by his team and he did indeed pit for soft tyres on lap 49 while Russell pitted a lap later.
Sainz also pitted to make it a Mercedes one-two before a safety car threw another element into this pulsating contest when Norris’s McLaren conked out on lap 52.
Russell sent an inquisitive message to his team asking what the plan was for the restart in the hope of hearing that Hamilton would be told to hold station.
But he received the news he must have been dreading – that the two would be racing for the win to the finishing line.
When the safety car came in and the racing resumed on lap 60, Russell was able to hold off the threat of Hamilton.
And he made it to the finishing line with Hamilton placed in second – despite running down in 10th place after his clash with Verstappen.
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Sainz was third in his Ferrari while Leclerc was fourth, despite his best efforts to get ahead of his teammate.
But Verstappen DEFIED his team’s request to swap places with Perez, to boost the Mexican’s chances of finishing runner-up in the drivers’ championship.
There was drama when Max Verstappen and Hamilton collidedCredit: Splash More

LEWIS HAMILTON and Max Verstappen were involved in ANOTHER crash at the Brazilian Grand Prix that left the Brit fuming after a chaotic start.The race had just restarted following a crash between Daniel Ricciardio and Kevin Magnussen when the incident occurred.
Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen were involved in a collision at the Brazilian GPCredit: Getty
Daniel Ricciardo’s horror season also continued in a chaotic start in BrazilCredit: AFP
The green flag was waved as Mercedes’ George Russell flew off to stay in the lead.
Verstappen made the jump on Hamilton but the pair touched.
Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc then touched too, forcing the latter off the track, only for him to get his Ferrari back on.
Both Verstappen for a new front wing, and Leclerc hit the pits for a quick repair job.
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Reigning champ Verstappen told the team radio: “”He left me no space.”
But the raging Hamilton was heard saying: “That was no racing incident mate.”
Reigning champ Verstappen told the team radio: “”He left me no space.”
But the raging Hamilton was heard saying: “That was no racing incident mate.”
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Fortunately for Hamilton, his car emerged unscathed from the collision. 
He was heard asking: “How much of my floor is missing mate?”
With an engineer replying: “From what we can see, it doesn’t look massive on tv pictures. Pace does look good though.”
Both Red Bull’s Verstappen and Norris were given five-second time penalties for causing their respective collisions.
Meanwhile, Ricciardo’s horror season continued after he crashed out out of the Brazilian Grand Prix on the second lap.
The Australian F1 ace was bought out of the last year of his contract for £10million by McLaren and will leave the team at the end of the year.
Ricciardo is not ready to call it quits just yet, despite his disappointing campaign.
However, he has endured more misery this evening just seconds after the start.
He and Kevin Magnussen were involved in a high-speed collision on the second lap in Sao Paulo.
Ricciardo was trying to make his way up the order and thought that he had spied a gap.
But Haas star Kevin Magnussen was right in his path as their motors went smashing into each other to bring the race to a halt.
The safety car was called on as both drivers were forced out of the race.
Fortunately both men appeared to be unscathed and soon got back into their cars to be ferried back to the pits.
It will be a devastating blow too for Magnussen after he claimed a thrilling pole on Friday during qualifying. 
Around 60,000 fans are in attendance to see whether Lewis Hamilton can secure his first victory of the season in South America.
You can follow all of the action from the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace (Interlagos) in Sao Paulo with Sun Sport’s live blog. More

LEWIS HAMILTON will wear a Brazilian-inspired helmet in Sao Paulo in his second “home” Grand Prix of the season.The legendary British Formula One star is still searching for his first win of the campaign.
Lewis Hamilton will wear a Brazilian-themed helmet tonightCredit: Avalon.red
The British star will don it after receiving a British citizenshipCredit: Rex
But he has secured second spot on the starting grid.
And Hamilton will be confident that he can put this torrid run to an end in Brazil on the very same track where he came back from 10th to grab first place.
Furthermore, the seven-time champion has more of an incentive to win after officially receiving a Brazilian citizenship ahead of the weekend.
Now he has decided to celebrate that by wearing a special helmet this weekend to honour his “second homeland”.
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The 37-year-old posed with it earlier this week after it was unveiled.
The helmet has the Brazilian flag donned along the outside of it with the colours of yellow, green and blue dominating it.
Hamilton has become a beloved figure by Brazilian fans throughout his years of dominance in F1.
And he has also spoken numerous times of how much he idolised the late, great Brazil icon Ayrton Senna.
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The Brazil GP will start around 6pm on Sunday, UK time.
Around 60,000 fans will be in attendance to see whether Hamilton can secure his first victory of the season.
You can follow all of the action from the Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace (Interlagos) in Sao Paulo with Sun Sport’s live blog. More

GEORGE RUSSELL will start Sunday’s Sao Paulo GP on pole after winning a thrilling sprint race.The Mercedes man, who is yet to win a GP, took the chequered flag in the short 24 lap race that decides the grid for the main race.
George Russell will start the Brazil Grand Pix in pole position.Credit: Getty
Carlos Sainz was second ahead of Lewis Hamilton, who is waiting for an investigation from the stewards for an infringement at the start.
Meanwhile, world champion Max Verstappen had a shocker and was beaten by Russell on pace – and clipped by Sainz causing front wing damage, which dropped him to fourth.
Kevin Magnussen, who took an unlikely pole position the previous day in his Haas when he benefited from a rain shower, made a good start but was soon reeled in by the quicker cars.
The Dane was eventually passed by Verstappen on the third lap while Alpine teammates Esteban Ocon and Fernando Alonso made contact, leaving the Spaniard furious.
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Russell moved up to second place behind Verstappen on lap four and set about catching the Dutchman.
The Mercedes man made his move to pass Verstappen as the two kept it clean.
The same could not be said when Sainz hit Verstappen on the way through on his way to second, while Hamilton also passed the Red Bull man five laps from the end.
It was a good performance from Russell, who earned the praise from his teammate, who is poised for a front-row start.
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After winning the sprint race, Russell said: “It was incredible. I was not expecting that much pace and shows all the progress we are making.
“This is a sprint race and you have to manage risk/reward. I didn’t want to risk it too much and end up with no points.
“It is crazy to think we are starting on the front row. Lewis did a great job from P8 and we are in a position switch strategy and go for the win.”
Sainz has a five-place grid drop for an engine penalty which means that Hamilton could start in second place, so long as he escapes a penalty from the stewards.
Hamilton was happy to see his teammate as he said: “It has been an incredible week. It was a difficult day starting from eight and make my way through.
“Congrats to George and this goes back to the factory and all the hard world. To be on the front row is incredible and hopefully we can work as a team and hold off the guys behind.
“We are going to try as hard as we can and I hope for good weather and I have fight on my hands, but a win here would be incredible.” More

LEWIS HAMILTON is still Mercedes’ best chance of claiming a win, not George Russell, claims Jolyon Palmer.Rookie Russell leads his legendary Formula One team-mate by 15 points in the Drivers’ Standings.
George Russell currently leads Lewis Hamilton by 15 points in the standingsCredit: Getty
Seven-time world champ Hamilton has failed to mount a title challenge this term but after a poor start battling for midfield spots he has finished second in his last two outings.
F1 pundit Palmer is adamant that the 37-year-old has shown recently that he is back to his best.
And he added that if Mercedes can build a car capable of mounting a shot at the championship next season, then it will be Hamilton that will be pushing for it rather than his junior colleague.
Discussing the points gap between the pair on the F1 Nation podcast, Palmer said: “I imagine George will close it out, just by sheer numbers.
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“There’s only two races left and if he just manages to keep this consistency, he’ll be there.
“But I think that doesn’t really tell the picture of the Mercedes story.
“I think George has been impressive, if he beats Lewis it will be an amazing achievement.
“But I do think the more the season’s gone on, the more Lewis looks like Lewis again.”
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He added: “At the start of the year, there was a really odd moment where everyone was a bit perplexed [thinking] ‘is George Russell, gonna outdo Lewis Hamilton?’ and for the first six, seven races, it was looking that way.
“As the season’s gone on, I think Lewis has got on top.
“And I think if they do have a title-challenging car next year, I still think it’d be Lewis that would be that man.” More