Williams driver George Russell explained the reason why Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg’s relationship fizzled out.
Teammate chemistry is a vital part of F1 success. For every Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz, there is a Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg. The latter pairing’s bitter rivalry led to one of the most storied trifectas of F1 history. Everything transpired at the cost of their friendship.
Russell believes that the Hamilton-Rosberg dynamic went south because of the sheer competitiveness between them. Speaking with Matt Clayton on the In the Fast Lane podcast, Russell explained his thoughts.
He said, “Maybe the same with Lewis and Rosberg. They were good friends back in the day. With those teammates, everything was hunky-dory. And suddenly, few comings together and taking the championship down to the wire, and that relationship soon fizzles out.”
Friendship goals
Russell also spoke about his camaraderie with Lando Norris. He pointed out how he dealt with Norris being his rival in Formula 2, and how it hasn’t affected their friendship at all.
“We’ve come through the ranks together. I think, naturally, our relationship is still relatively good because there’s been no reason to have intense falling outs,” he said.
“Lando and I battled in Formula 2. But, we didn’t have any true battles, if you know what I mean. We didn’t go wheel-to-wheel and crash into each other, and we had no reason to hate each other.”
With his comparison of teammate dynamics, the 23-year-old concluded that the battles between Hamilton and Rosberg destroyed their relationship beyond repair. Hamilton and Rosberg were thick friends, but today, they do not have a relationship at all.
Russell, who is widely touted as a future driver for Mercedes, will hope to get there one day. If he does, he will look to establish a great relationship with his teammate.
Read more: Has Russell jeopardised his chances of getting a Mercedes seat?