Russell is currently in second place in the championship after earning his first podium finish as a Mercedes driver at the Australian Grand Prix. And Lewis Hamilton, his seven-time world champion teammate, was effusive in his praise for Russell’s early performance this season.
In Australia, Valtteri Bottas finished third, ahead of Hamilton at Albert Park, after finishing fourth and fifth in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. And Hamilton claimed his new teammate was “doing an amazing job,” both in Australia and more generally during his first races as a Mercedes driver.
“It’s incredible, he’s done a fantastic job,” the Briton added after the Australian Grand Prix. “He had great pace today, and he has been really solid throughout these first three races. He’s working hard and putting in a lot of effort; he’s doing an excellent job.”
Despite Russell’s excellent start to the season and Mercedes’ second-place finish in the constructors’ championship, the Silver Arrows have fallen short of their usual domination this season. “I’m hopeful that my team will get to the top this year,” said Hamilton, despite Ferrari and Red Bull’s expected gains.
“I’m a glass-half-full kind of person,” Hamilton added. “There are 20 races left. “If you consider things realistically… the best teams frequently develop at about the same rate and in similar periods,” he added.
“Will that be the case with this new automobile? Who knows, but I’m determined to get in the fight as soon as possible. But every little bit of progress we make, [Ferrari] and Red Bull will follow suit, so it won’t be easy. And yes, there is a significant gap now, but there’s still a long way to go.”
Mercedes was still the top constructor, despite Russell acknowledging that they were the fifth-best team for most of the race weekend. Ahead of the next race in Imola, Hamilton predicted that the team would “go all out” to return to the top.
“We have a lot of improvements to make, and we need everyone’s help to do so. We just want to be sure that no stone is left unturned and that we are fully utilizing every minute of time,” said Hamilton. “So, yeah, a lot of Zoos going after the people in the wind tunnel, aerodynamic experts looking at every single aspect.
“There’s a lot of performance to be gained in areas where we already know – and it’s time for us to get it now, not later… As a team, I’ll be on the simulator preparing for the next race.”
