Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari chapter has started with both sparks and struggles — and former teammate George Russell believes it’s only a matter of time before things fully click for the seven-time world champion.
Hamilton made headlines when he left Mercedes after over a decade of partnership, stepping into the scarlet red of Ferrari for the 2025 season. The transition, as expected, hasn’t been seamless. While Hamilton showed flashes of brilliance — notably taking pole and winning the sprint in China — he’s also found himself trailing teammate Charles Leclerc in both qualifying and race pace.
In Bahrain, after a particularly rough qualifying session, Hamilton publicly apologized to Ferrari for not delivering the performance expected of him — a rare moment of vulnerability from the veteran driver.
When asked to weigh in on Hamilton’s early Ferrari form, Mercedes’ George Russell offered nothing but respect and confidence in his former teammate’s abilities.
“He’s the most experienced driver on the grid after Fernando [Alonso], a seven-time World Champion, and an incredible person and racer,” Russell told the media.
“We saw it in China — second race of the season — pole in the Sprint, wins the race comfortably. I know what he’s capable of. It’s not easy joining a new team, but he’s an amazing driver. When things start to click, we’ll see more of that magic.”
Russell, now leading Mercedes’ efforts in the post-Hamilton era, has enjoyed a solid start to his season. He currently sits fourth in the driver standings — just 14 points shy of championship leader Lando Norris.
Despite his strong position, Russell remains grounded about title ambitions.
“My aspirations are to fight for the World Championship, but realistically, we don’t have a car that can go toe-to-toe with McLaren. They could’ve easily finished first and second in every race this year, but their small mistakes have opened doors for the rest of us.”
He continued,
“Myself and Max [Verstappen] have made it onto the podium thanks to a few of those errors, and we’ll take it — but I don’t expect those mistakes to last all season.”
As for Hamilton, his journey at Ferrari is still in its infancy. He currently sits seventh in the standings, behind Leclerc in fifth. But if Russell’s prediction holds true, fans could soon witness the resurgence of the Hamilton magic — this time, painted in red.
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