Russell versus Hamilton - underhand tactics war
Two days after the end of testing in Barcelona, one thing is still bothering me. What was the purpouse for this series of measurement runs by Lewis at the very end of testing? A few tests on new tires to establish a meaningless, best time? What for?
After all, a few hours earlier the best time of the day (and of the entire test) had George Russell. In the end, he was barely 0.1 seconds slower than Hamilton. Either way, if the team needed to do a speed test for this moment of preparation, it was already done by George. Why send another driver to try to do the same thing in the afternoon? On top of that, in a couple of series of runs - at this stage of testing, when you don't yet need to concentrate on getting the maximum performance out of the car?
I get the impression that these runs were not so much for the team, but rather for Lewis. Maybe he needed to "rust out" and "sharpen up" himself? Maybe he wanted to have an idea about the car's performance in short runs to share his own observations with the team (and not rely only on his teammate's comments), or maybe... He also wanted to check/show his pace in comparison to Russell?
George is behaving in an exemplary manner so far. He is showering Hamilton with superlatives. He stresses at every step that he is not thinking about comparisons with Lewis and internal rivalry. That he thinks only about working for the team. It's a good opening if you want to be an inferior driver, waiting in the hope that in two years time at the latest Hamilton will get bored and then you will take over as team leader.
But I think Russell is less patient, more ambitious, and mega smart. De facto - in terms of cooperation with the team, working out and strengthening his position in the internal operations of the team, and in terms of image (I mean the support of the British media) - Lewis is an equal. Just as in 2007 Fernando Alonso found his equal, or perhaps even better in internal games, when Hamilton made his McLaren debut at his side. History does like to repeat itself
George knows he won't topple Hamilton by force. The team won't risk a violent upheaval, a destabilization of its proven leader, who is an object of worship at Mercedes (literally - that's the way it's set up, and you can see it in the statements of Toto and other high-ranking people of the team). However, Russell can take over the support of the team by organic work. Showing loyalty, humility, openness and... his biggest weapon - pure speed. On the outside, he may give the impression of a placated, obedient ideal successor to Bottas' position of inferior, but on the inside... In my opinion, he has very ambitious goals, and excellent interpersonal and communication skills to pull the support and sympathy of the team to his side step by step.
Hence, back to square one, I get the impression that this series of laps was needed for Lewis because Russell did a great job in the morning session and summed everything up with an excellent - for this stage of preparation - time. Hamilton wanted to do a series of runs just to accentuate his authority, to show speed, to mark the ground. And if that is indeed the case... 0.1 seconds in the afternoon's potentially faster session is not some crushing advantage.
Either way - it's these runs that give a shadow of hope that something will change at Mercedes, too. That Lewis' unquestioned priority, also over Russell, is just a starting point and George, behind the scenes and in the qualifying, will do his job and step by step will strengthen his position enough to allow the team to throw down the gauntlet to the current favorite.
I am counting on George's unquestionable great intelligence. However, one doubt will remain - racecraft. Lewis, although by no means flawless, is an outstanding racer, while Russell still has a lot to prove. Well. Time will tell. As long as they don't put him down like Bottas earlier. As long as, like Valtteri before him, George doesn't put himself under and it will be very interesting even if the domination of the Silver Arrows returns.
by
Cezary Gutowski 
