Lewis Hamilton said he does not feel like the leader of Mercedes and that he and George Russell work just as hard as anyone else in the team.
It has been a strange season for Hamilton. An unlikely podium in the opening race in Bahrain was followed by a 10th-place finish in Saudi Arabia. In Spain, he produced one of the drives of his career to come from the back of the grid to P5 but his longterm future in the sport has been questioned given the rise of his team-mate Russell.
Hamilton’s place as the biggest start in F1 is undeniable. Even if the new generation in the form of Russell, Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc do appear to be converting that much talked about potential into race wins, Hamilton remains the biggest and most popular figure in the sport.
Despite this, he said he does not feel like the leader of Mercedes and believes that both he and Russell work just as hard as anyone else in the team.
In a press conference attended by both Russell and Hamilton before the Spanish Grand Prix, a joint question was asked to the pair and Russell was asked what qualities he saw in Hamilton as a leader. Hamilton responded first and denied he was the leader.
“Well firstly, I wouldn’t say that I’m the leader,” the seven-time World Champion said. “George and I work equally as hard together, I would say, to help drive the team and row just as hard as everyone else in the team.
“But yeah, I mean, just always through adversity and challenging times, you always learn more about yourself, how you deal with things, how you reflect on things, how you are able to turn negatives into positives.
“I wouldn’t say I’ve learned particularly much more so I will say that past experiences have helped during this phase. And, yeah, I would say to just reassuring the strength that I know I have mentally.
“Also just reassuring us that I still love my job, I still love the challenge even if it’s not fighting for wins, I’m still enjoying this battle that…
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