Lewis Hamilton had some choice words for himself at the Hungarian Grand Prix, which George Russell has branded as “nonsense” as he defends the ‘greatest of all time’.
Hamilton has struggled through his first season as a Ferrari driver, no more evident than in his Q2 elimination at the Hungarian GP. After the session, the 7-time Champion branded himself as “useless” and suggested that Ferrari should switch him with another driver. Hamilton currently sits P6 in the Drivers’ Championship.
Speaking to the media ahead of the Dutch GP, Russell defended his former teammate, as Hamilton hopes to rediscover his enjoyment in Formula 1.
Russell: Hamilton’s ‘useless’ claims are ‘nonsense’
The pair enjoyed three seasons together as Mercedes teammates, as the car dropped off from its incredible heights of 2020 and 2021. Russell will know Hamilton’s qualities more than most, and he strongly defends his fellow Brit.
“Of course he’s talking nonsense when he says something like that because he’s the greatest driver of all time. I think in a situation like that, when you go from the race track and you’re in front of the media within 10 minutes, you have all of these emotions. When you have a bad day, that’s how you feel. When you have a good day, everything changes.
“He’s still an exceptional driver. He obviously won the sprint straight away at the start of the year in China. He’s clearly still got it. Formula 1 is not an easy sport, and especially if the team is not performing at the highest level, that compounds the issue.”
Russell also tipped Hamilton to bounce back in 2026, adding that Hamilton “lives for” the opportunity to start a new season and fight for a title.
Hamilton hoping to rediscover his spark in F1
Hamilton’s Ferrari career looked to be starting incredibly with a Sprint Race victory in China. However, he is yet to finish on the podium in a full-length Grand Prix, and will take the rest of the season to chase enjoyment rather than results.
“I think for anyone in whatever career you’re in, if you’re not enjoying what you’re doing, then why are you doing it. There can often be so much noise that you can lose sight of what’s really, really important. So that’s why I’m saying I just really want to focus on getting back to that enjoyment.
“I’ve joined the team that I’ve always dreamed of driving for and there’s been so much noise around that it’s kind of clouded us from getting to enjoy it. So now it’s about kind of moving those things aside and just getting back to focusing on the pure love of what we do.”
