The good relationship between Lewis Hamilton and George Russell is something that Mercedes is very pleased with. According to director Andrew Shovlin, it needs to be maintained
Mercedes is experiencing a very busy first part of the 2022 Formula 1 season in trying to regain the space lost to Red Bull and Ferrari with the new rules established for this year. And, according to Engineering Director Andrew Shovlin, that is the sole focus of the two drivers. Lewis Hamilton and George Russell couldn't care less who has more points between them.
So far it is Russell who has the advantage in the internal duel. The Englishman, who debuts for the team in 2022, is the only driver to finish all seven races of the year in the top five and has 84 points against Hamilton's 50.
"We're all working on trying to understand the car and putting in a good window is not easy like some cars we've had in the past, so we don't even pay much attention to where they are in terms of qualifying. They both try different things [over the weekends] and work with a lot of engineers to explore different ways," he said.
"The two of them have been very good at it and they know that if a path they take ends up not being the right one, it could cost them a Saturday or a Sunday," he followed.
Crucial, then, is that Mercedes can maintain the friendly, zero ego-driven relationship that the two have displayed so far.
"It's good to see that the two are working together. They are both very focused on moving forward on the grid, much more than worrying about whether one or the other is a little bit ahead. We need to keep that collective relationship," he finished.
Formula One continues this weekend in Baku with the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. GRANDE PRÊMIO follows all the activities LIVE and IN REAL TIME.