In that period, he lost the qualifying head-to-head to Russell and Charles Leclerc by a combined score of 38 to 10, and the race-head-to-head by 31 to 10.
George Russell says tyre whisperer Lewis Hamilton is a ‘serious’ title threat
However, in a Ferrari car he helped develop and with a brand-new set of regulations, Hamilton has been in vintage form.
This is arguably the best he has driven since he last won the title in 2020.
Hamilton is only five points behind Russell in the standings despite Mercedes’ dominance so far this year (even if the latter’s Canada DNF slightly skews the picture).
He has turned the tables on Leclerc in qualifying and outscored him by 46 poinTS.
Russell sees him as a ‘serious’ title contender and puts his revival down to greater trust in his car and team.
Hamilton’s success rate when it comes to choosing a set-up is much improved, and his management of tyre temperatures has also been an important factor.
“I think he will be a serious title threat,” Russell told The Daily Mail.
“He’s still got it.
He gives me the inspiration of resilience.
Everyone counted him out after his last season with me at Mercedes and with Charles last year
“He is on it again, and it’s not because he has just woken up and remembered how to drive.
It is that it has clicked for him.
He is happy driving the car, he has faith in his team.
He is working well on the setup, getting the tyres in the right window.
“I had that ‘click’ last year and the start of this, and I hope I am getting it again.
I am working on the car, how I want it, and we saw the results in Barcelona and Austria.”
On the other side of the garage, Russell has sympathy for Leclerc.
The opposite to Hamilton, he has struggled with ‘understanding the car’ and ‘what these tyres need in different conditions’.
