Ralf Schumacher believes that Lewis Hamilton is the "biggest loser of the season so far" because he is being overtaken by his new teammate.

George Russell has come ahead of Hamilton in all but the first race of 2022, with the young Briton consistently finishing in the top five in every GP.

While Russell is fourth in the world championship with 99 points, Hamilton is sixth with 62. Schumacher is surprised at the outcome of the battle between the two so far.

"Lewis Hamilton is the biggest loser of the season so far," wrote the German in his column for the .

"George Russell joined the team at the beginning of the year and usually stays ahead of the world champion, as well as being stronger in qualifying."

"The 'greatest driver of all time,' as Mercedes boss Toto Wolff always says, is being filleted by a rookie in a way that is already worrying."

"I am amazed because there are only two possibilities: Russell is the new phenom or Hamilton has had such a strong car in recent years that it has paid off big time."

Hamilton and Russell both commented on their difficulties with the kicks after the Azerbaijan GP, with Mercedes calling for solutions to the problem.

Hamilton was apparently more affected, having suffered back pain during the event. However, Schumacher feels that he should focus more on the fight with his teammate than the problem.

"As for the issue of the kicks: you can have that problem, but Russell was in the same car and George looked brand new to me after the race," commented the former Formula One driver.

"Lewis should think about being faster than his teammate. I am sorry that he has back pain, but the other teams are also controlling that problem."

"I don't know if Lewis sits more upright in the car and therefore feels the blows on his back more. If so, the load on his back would be much higher and would explain his pain."