George Russell believes that Lewis Hamilton’s departure from Mercedes was ‘really good’ for the team. The move afforded the Silver Arrows a ‘fresh start’ with rookie team-mate Kimi Antonelli entering the organisation in place of the seven-time world champion. Hamilton underpinned Mercedes’ success during the turbo-hybrid era, scoring six of his seven Drivers’ Championship titles with the Brackley-based squad.
However, after losing out to Max Verstappen in heartbreaking fashion in 2021, the Brit’s fortunes turned, and Toto Wolff’s squad were unable to compete for regular race victories. This eventually led to the 40-year-old’s departure at the end of the 2024 campaign as he completed a lifelong ambition, signing for Ferrari on a multi-year contract. In his place, 18-year-old wunderkind Antonelli was promoted to one of the most coveted seats in Formula One after a mixed rookie year in Formula Two.
“It’s a different feeling within the team,” Russell told Autosport, addressing Hamilton’s departure. “But ultimately, you only look towards one thing, which is the performance. We obviously started really well. Now we’ve had a run of bad form.
“I hope we can get that back on track, but there’s always pros and cons to every change that you make in any organisation. But I think the change was with Lewis. It’s good for him. It’s really good for us as a team; a fresh start. Sometimes you need to break that mould to find yourself back on track.”
The numbers paint a clear picture. Ferrari are currently 24 points ahead of Mercedes in the Constructors’ Championship standings, but Russell has a victory and five more podiums to his name, while Hamilton remains without a top-three finish in 2025.
Hamilton’s struggles are akin to those he experienced with McLaren in 2009, but even then, the Brit recovered from a miserable run of three point-scoring finishes in the first nine rounds to win twice. Repeat victories in 2025 appear unlikely during the summer break.
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Antonelli has also found it tough. He has scored points in just two of the last eight races, and has 64 points to his team-mate’s 172. “The fact is, his pace delta to me is no different,” Russell continued, explaining his colleague’s struggles. “I think that’s what people don’t see.
“In Canada, I was on pole and he qualified fourth, but he was six tenths behind me. In Belgium, he was out in Q1, and I made it to Q3, but he was only three tenths off. People look at the underlying result, but the truth is he’s still making progress, even though we as a team have gone backwards.
“But suddenly you’re now in the fight where a tenth can be six or seven grid spots, whereas before, for the positions we were fighting for, a tenth is plus or minus one position. Kimi and I had just taken an equal step backwards over those last few races.”
