The last triumph for Russell with Mercedes dates back to the 2022 Brazilian Grand Prix, while Hamilton’s most recent victory occurred in the penultimate race of the 2021 season in Saudi Arabia.
George Russell openly challenged Lewis Hamilton’s claims about the setups of their cars at the Bahrain Grand Prix, stating that the Mercedes vehicles had remarkably similar setups.
This discussion takes place in the context of Hamilton’s recent announcement that he will join Ferrari in 2025, marking his final year with Mercedes.
In the opening race of the 2024 season in Bahrain, Russell secured third place on the grid, closely following Max Verstappen, while Hamilton finished ninth, behind his teammate.
Despite their efforts, both Mercedes drivers faced difficulties during the race, finishing fifth and seventh, respectively, as the team struggled with overheating issues caused by a miscalculated cooling setup.
The ambient temperatures in Sakhir were unexpectedly high, adding complexity to the race conditions.
During a post-qualifying interaction, Hamilton shared his perspective on the setup choices. He emphasized a divergence in their setup approaches, stating: “During my work on Thursday, we were using identical car setups, and I felt great. “We went different ways – he went one way, and I went another. “You could argue that what I chose is not advantageous for a single lap, but hopefully it will be beneficial during the race. “I wasn’t happy with my race pace in practice. “So I made changes to the car in hopes of improving race pace, but we’ll see if that’s actually the case.”
However, Russell contested this viewpoint after the race, suggesting that their setups were more similar than different and that his own setup was more focused on the race. He stated: “A lot of people have said that. To be honest, I really don’t know the major differences because as far as I’m aware, our cars are quite similar. I don’t pay much attention to his setup. Actually, mine was more race-focused than the setup he used. At least, it was on Friday [for qualifying].”
Russell’s last triumph for Mercedes dates back to the 2022 Brazilian Grand Prix, while Hamilton’s most recent win was in the penultimate race of the 2021 season in Saudi Arabia. As the team prepares for the next race in Jeddah, the relationship between the two teammates and their setup choices remains a point of interest.
