Cracks are starting to emerge between Lewis Hamilton and George Russell – they just got lost in all the F1 drama

Are cracks forming in Lewis Hamilton and George Russell’s relationship?

I’m beginning to sense a bit of a pinprick developing between the two Mercedes drivers that has gone largely unnoticed during the FIA’s operational incursions in Saudi Arabia and Australia.

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In these last two races we’ve had to deal with what went wrong (again) in race control, which has pushed some of Russell’s behavior out of the spotlight.

To repeat. Countering Hamilton’s claim that he benefited from taking a different car set-up in Bahrain, Russell said: “I don’t think there’s any luck at all, I think it’s the preparation you put in before the event have… I thought it would be better than the setup Lewis went for.”

And then, during the Melbourne race, Russell radioed the team when he was in the lead and closely followed by Hamilton, saying: “They’re asking me to run it and I’m being attacked by my team-mate !”

And then, after stopping with an engine problem, it was interesting to note that Russell said he could have won the race despite Max Verstappen’s pace because “it would have been difficult to overtake, especially with Lewis between the two.” us”.

Russell doesn’t go wrong here, but it’s worth noting the language he uses.

It’s obvious he’s growing increasingly confident about now questioning Mercedes’ decisions and speaking his mind.

It’s a contrast to when he first joined the team last season after driving on loan at Williams.

There’s a distinct sense that Russell, 25, has established himself on the team in the shadow of Merc’s struggles, while Hamilton played the role of sacrificial lamb as he tested theories on the porpoise’s cure.

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The result this year is that Russell is with a season under his belt and let’s also remember Merc’s only win in 2022 that now is the time to differentiate from Hamilton.

Team-mate rivalries in Formula 1 are of course nothing new and Hamilton has a number of them – Fernando Alonso and Nico Rosberg being the most contentious.

Unlike the other two where he was the up and coming youngster at McLaren or at least on par with Rosberg, there’s no denying that Russell is the future for Mercedes.

Unlike Hamilton, he also has a long-term contract with the Silver Arrows. He has also dequalified his teammate in all three races this season.

His confidence is growing and the longer it lasts, the more problems it could cause Hamilton.

RACE TALKS

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THE FIA and F1 will discuss the ridiculous end of Sunday’s Australian GP.

Race stewards want the sport to reconsider the rule book surrounding standing starts in the wake of the Melbourne chaos.

There were debates about all three red flags and the subsequent start procedure and the stewards.

The stewards are concerned about the carnage caused by the slow cars pulling onto the grid behind the safety car.

As cars slowed, there was a notable traffic jam, forcing some drivers to take action to avoid slamming into the rear of other cars.

CHANGE LANES

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ZAK BROWN gushed after McLaren scored some much-needed points – so many that in the heat of the moment he challenged Christian Horner to a car race at Silverstone – and Mercedes boss Toto Wolff to a boxing match in Las Vegas!

He said, “If we go to Vegas, what is Vegas known for? [A] Little boxing match? I’m ready!”

SAFETY FIRST

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A timely reminder that motorsport is dangerous – for spectators too.

A fan was injured when a piece of Kevin Magnussen’s Haas bodywork flew and slashed his arm.

Andrew Westacott, CEO of Australian Grand Prix Corporation, said: “It so happened that we had one of our engineers there who saw it. It appears debris from the wheel hub shot 20 meters into the air and landed, injuring a gentleman’s arm.

“Our people knew about the incident. It looks like an unusual one-off.”

ROSS EY FEEL

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MARCO BEZZECCHI thanked mentor Valentino Rossi after his maiden MotoGP win in Argentina.

The Italian won in difficult conditions for his and the Mooney VR46 Racing Team’s first victory and now leads the championship standings.

He said: “I’m happy, more for the team, because without them, Vale and the academy, it would probably be impossible to get here.

“My family made sacrifices and we spent a lot of time all over the world in the beginning, so they put a lot of effort into making my dream come true.

“Same with Vale, he’s my idol and still is because when I was young I started because of him. To meet him, to become his friend and his rider, to win a MotoGP race is amazing.”

FAST CUT

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Britain’s GT series promises to be the smartest in motorsport after men’s mental health charity The Lions Barber Collective promised free haircuts during race weekends.

The Lions Barber Collective partners with FastR and seeks to raise awareness of men’s mental health at every UK GT round.

The group of hairdressers are trained to recognize, ask and listen to signs of depression in their clients and cut their hair on race weekends.