The Late Braking F1 Podcast - Hamilton and Russell RE-SIGN with MERCEDES until end of 2025 | EMERGENCY PODCAST

Episode Date: August 31, 2023

Here with a short emergency podcast as news has just broken today (Thurs 31 Aug) that Lewis Hamilton and George Russell have re-signed their contracts with Mercedes until 2025. Ben and Sam discuss the news and how it suggests Lewis views the team's future performance, as well as where it leaves the dynamic between the two Mercedes drivers. We will go into further detail on the next full podcast! FOLLOW us on socials! You can find us on YouTube, Instagram, X (Twitter) and TikTok SUPPORT our Patreon for bonus episodes JOIN our Discord community JOIN our F1 Fantasy League BUY our Merch EMAIL us at [e-mail]   & SUBSCRIBE to our podcast! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This podcast is part of the Sports Social Podcast Network. Thank you for listening to the Late Breaking F1 podcast. Make sure to check out new episodes every Wednesday and every Sunday. Hello and a very warm welcome to a very special edition of the late breaking F1 podcast. Just a quick breaking news announcement as of course it happens on a Thursday. You know it's going to happen on a Thursday. Both Mercedes drivers have been announced as signing multi-year deals until the end of 2020. which of course takes them up to the end of the current regulations,

with 2026 set to be the new power unit regulations coming in. It does mean that Lewis Hamilton will be driving with the team until he's 40 years old at the very least. Interesting development there. We'll get into it. Okay, breaking news, finally. Finally, this was supposed to happen months ago. But finally, Lewis Hamilton has been announced as staying with Mercedes.

Can you believe it? I mean, he's being a very naughty boy because he's classically, the him and Mercedes have announced not on the day that we record our podcast. So you're guessing this short form emergency late breaking podcast from Ben and I. If you're listening, you're on the podcast format, but it's also on YouTube so you can go see us visually do it there. But, I mean, he didn't wait as long as he did last time, right? He hasn't left it to the first race of the season.

He's actually in the current season at least. So well done him. But Ben, what do you think it all means for Lewis, for Mercedes, for the team? Yeah, firstly, just to mention, of course, pretty fresh news. So we will be getting into more of the details on the full podcast. So don't you worry about that. What does it mean for Hamilton? What does it mean for Mercedes?

Certainly from Hamilton's perspective, I think this is just a realization that at this point in his career, and I don't just mean a racing career. I mean more of him as a brand, as a personality, because we know he's much more than just a Formula One driver at this point. I think this is just a realization that Formula One acts as the best vehicle for him to achieve within the sport, but also about the sport at this moment in time. I never bought into the rum as the Ferrari might happen or another team might be a possibility because he's been wed to Mercedes since pretty much. we were born. Going back to the late 90s, we were a couple years old. He has had some association

with this team. A couple of down years was never realistically going to be enough to see him go to another team. Now, it was a genuine question about whether he would leave the sport entirely, which I always thought was a more realistic option than him going to another team. But I think this just proves that actually there's still plenty left in the tank. And I think he's at a very good season to this point. I mentioned this in a recent episode. I think he has been underratedly good this year. I don't think there have been many drivers out there that have been better than him. In fact, maybe just one in Max Verstappen. Alonzo is probably a debate as well. But yeah, he has been, he has been great all season long. And I think this just shows that if Mercedes can deliver the car,

I think Hamilton still backs himself to deliver a championship. What do you think? Yeah. Yeah, there is there is life in the old dog yet. And I think a lot of people forget, maybe you're newer to the sport. People forget that Lewis Hamilton, hasn't always being in a steady, race-winging, race-leading car. Of course, the tens to 13s in terms of years,

he was, of course, in McLaren, where it wasn't a front-running car, and he had to pick up the odd wing here and there. He had to fight from a car that was maybe regularly qualifying in fifth, sixth, seventh, very much like the Sagi's of today and last year. So he has been in this position before, and, of course, he's seeing his fortunes turn around.

He then went on to wing six world titles after that move, of course, from the Segey's factory team. Now, what is very interesting about this decision here is, I think Mercedes themselves have had to do the selling. They've had to sell him a big of a dream. They've had to tell him that coming in the near future is success once again, because as much as I think it is always Mercedes, I agree with Ben very much that there isn't, you know,

he's not going to a Ferrari, he's not going to end up an, and Ashton Martin or a new team that's going to come in. I don't think that's who Lewis Hamilton is. I don't think he just sits around and rakesing a paycheck for the sake of sitting around and raking a paycheck. That man's got enough cash. He's got enough ventures. It's not like money's a problem.

I think he, no, he don't need it. I do, Lewis, but he don't. So if he's in Formula One, he's in Formula One for success, it's not just to be mediocre. It's not just to drive around and hopefully finish fifth or sixth. So I think Toto Wolf, that engineering team and the team that are going to forecast how good that car is have sold him. Look, you'll be back on top within 12 months. We're going to get the car to fight right back at the top again.

And here is reason A, B, C and D. And we know that Lewis is no idiot because he made that move to Mercedes the first time round. And they must have sold him the same trajectory. And he must have understood it and bought into it and believed it. And he was proven right because he went on to him all those titles. So he knows what's going on behind the curtain. He understands what they mean with their engineering and how the chassis works, how the engine works.

He believes something's there or he would not have signed, I don't think. I think much like Ben, retirement definitely seemed like the more realistic option. What is intriguing is that recently he has made a comment. I think he might have been agreeing with a comment from Shao LeClaire, and apologies if that's incorrect.

where Shao LeClaiard mentioned it was difficult to see anyone beating Red Bull before 2026, which I guess makes this even more interesting if Hamilton agrees with that and he's still coming on board, maybe for the media,

he's being more pessimistic than he actually is internally. Maybe Mercedes have been able to sell him this dream of what it could be. But I think Hamilton's in a position where he doesn't need a dominant car in the way that Vostappan has had this year and indeed Hamilton has had dominant cars in the past. I think he's just hoping for a sniff of a chance. He just wants

something to get his teeth sunk into where he knows that he might have to perform a 10 out of 10 every week and still end up just short of the championship. But he just wants something that can give him the tools to fight on a regular basis, which he knows maybe Mercedes think they can deliver that next year. It's been tough the last two years, but maybe next year is the year. Before we go, just a quick mention on George Russell, I guess he had this idea that he would be, and it might still be the case, that he would take on the reins as the number one driver at Mercedes at some point as soon as Lewis steps to one side. We know that that isn't happening yet. What do you think that does from Russell and his mentality?

I think initially out the blocks, disaster for George Russell. I think he was very much of the attitude of, I learned from the greatest, in his opinion. I learn from this seven-time world champion. I take as much as I can. Two years in, boom. Lewis is gone. I'm the team leading out.

And Mercedes, of course, in his mind, have a world title fighting car that he can lead the team, pick up the wings, take home the world titles, and he's got nothing to complain about. He is the de facto guy that Mercedes would turn to. This makes him, and I think it's fair to say, the B driver for the team for a little while, to go just yet. There's no

rookie coming in. They're not going to be looking outside of the sayings to try and bringing a driver to sit alongside George Russell. He is going to have to play the Padawan to the Jedi for quite a while longer. And I think that Russell hasn't continually proved himself

good enough yet to have himself entirely on a level playing field to Lewis Hamilton. If he had recreated what he did in season one in season two again, he'd have a fair shout to go, look Lewis, Oh man, you were once fantastic, but you're not there anymore. Still very good, but I'm the king around these parts.

He can't do that. He is getting comfortably bested by Lewis Hamilton this season. And so it's going to carry on into the next season where he will have to prove himself yet again. I think long term, he'll still be the guy. He'll still be the guy that becomes number one. And if they give her a car for five, six years, maybe he wins a few titles down the road. But for right now going into 2024, I think there's a little bit of heartbreak there. I actually think it's a net positive for Russell in the yes Lewis Hamilton is a tougher opponent than pretty much anyone else you can put in that seat.

But I think if that was the choice versus scrambling around to find someone else to put in that seat who George Russell would confidently determine he could beat them, I still think the option of Hamilton in that seat is the better one. The reality is that Russell will probably never overtake Lewis Hamilton as a name and a personality. And any team that has Lewis Hamilton in it, Hamilton almost is always going to be the de facto leader of the team, just based on his experience and the value of his name and even outside of his ability. But I think overall actually having two very competent drivers is good for the team and is therefore, good for George Russell himself. I could be wrong on that. And I wouldn't be surprised if George Russell turned around next season and did beat Lewis Hamilton. I do think they are pretty similar in terms of pace. It's not going very well from this year. But do I think George Russell could,

you know, I think he was hoping he'd get the keys to Mercedes a little earlier than perhaps he's going to get them. But actually for the long-term success of the team and him individually, I don't think having Hamilton around is a problem. mention we will get into this news a lot, lot more on the podcast. But of course, we wanted to, as soon as the news broke, get something out there for you to give our takes on this. Anything else you want to mention, Sam? No, as you say, we'll jump into it.

Make sure you stick around for our race reviews and midweek reviews if you knew. And subscribe wherever you are, where you get your podcast. We appreciate the support. Thank you very much. Keep breaking late. Podcast is part of the Sports Social Podcast Network.