“If the Roles Were Reversed…”: Lewis Hamilton’s “Gracious” Act Sees Scathing Fan Response Towards George Russell’s “Lucky Win”

The Austrian GP had one of the most shocking turns in F1 2024. While Max Verstappen was enjoying an easy lead after starting from pole position, Lando Norris charged after him. This led to a contact between the Red Bull and the McLaren as Max dropped to #5 and Norris retired. As a result, George Russell, who was running third till the 64th lap of the 71-lap race, suddenly found himself at the front. From there, the Silver Arrows racer soared to victory as his teammate Lewis Hamilton applauded the win. But fans of the 7-time World Champion believe Russell would never have given the same reaction had Hamilton won.

Russell ensured that Mercedes’ first win of this season happened in Red Bull’s backyard. The 26-year-old had previously gotten the team’s first podium of the year in Canada with a third-place finish. While the Stuttgart outfit was undoubtedly proud of George Russell for attaining his second Grand Prix victory, his teammate Lewis Hamilton shared the sentiment as well. Despite the #44 racer failing to get a single race win since 2021, he showed genuine appreciation for George’s achievement.

As soon as the race got over at the Red Bull Ring in Austria, Lewis Hamilton passed Russell after crossing the chequered flag. He looked at his young partner and stuck his thumb up at him. The 7-time F1 Champion also left the steering wheel of his Mercedes W15 to clap. This endearing gesture stole the hearts of all Hamilton fans who cheered the racer on X. However, some of them claimed George Russell would never show the same appreciation as Hamilton just did, perhaps because of jealousy.

The 2024 Formula 1 season is the last time Lewis Hamilton will appear in the iconic Silver Arrows suit. Next year, he will fly to Maranello to drive for Ferrari. Speculations suggest Hamilton’s surprise team switch has not been received very well by the stakeholders of Mercedes, especially Toto Wolff. Hence, they have concerted all their efforts into helping George Russell and have left the 7-time World Champion to fend for himself.

via Imago

Thus, when Lewis Hamilton clapped at Russell for his Austrian GP win, one of the fans brought up how ‘nice’ the Briton is and how Mercedes has allegedly been mistreating him lately.

One of the X users even brought up the way George Russell captured the win in Austria. While he was running in third place for the majority of the 71-lap race, Max Verstappen and Lando Norris‘ collision led to them being dropped further down the grid. Thus, some said that Russell essentially inherited the victory rather than attaining it himself.

When George Russell was asked about his goal for 2024, the Briton said, “Obviously, I want to beat my teammate and I’m not going to take offense if he says the same.” This shows how he feels competitive towards the 39-year-old who has been his idol since childhood. This competitiveness can give way to jealousy, and because of this, a few followers think Russell would never clap if Hamilton won a race.

George Russell has only been in F1 since 2019, and thus his fan following comes nowhere near Hamilton’s. Even though he has attained victory at the Austrian GP, many fans feel no joy since it is the other Mercedes racer whom they wanted to see on the top step of the podium.

Also, Lewis Hamilton, being the senior racer among the two Silver Arrows men, is naturally considered the leader. With his excellent interactive skills, the Briton has come across as a perfect lead driver for Mercedes. This showed when he applauded for George Russell despite not winning a race on his own since 2021.

Lewis Hamilton has chased his 104th Grand Prix win for a long time now. As Mercedes looks much closer to the top than they were in the first eight Grands Prix of 2024, the time is ripe for the #44 racer to aim for victory. Next week, the F1 circus will travel to Silverstone, Hamilton’s home ground, where he has won a whopping 8 times.

Do you think Hamilton can take the count to 9 this time around at the British GP? Let us know your answer in the comments below.