Lewis Hamilton reveals George Russell's STRUGGLE in Mercedes F1 car

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Lewis Hamilton

Hamilton reveals Russell's STRUGGLE in Mercedes F1 car

Lewis Hamilton has opened up on George Russell's difficulty in his Mercedes car

Matthew Hobkinson Lead Editor

F1 Editor & Journalist

Thursday 3 August 2023 10:42

Lewis Hamilton has revealed that George Russell 'somehow' manages to fit in his F1 car despite being over 6ft tall, after he was caught off guard by the height of a Mercedes ESports driver.

Hamilton recorded a P4 finish at Spa in the final race before the summer break. The Silver Arrows will now have just under a month off to regroup and prepare themselves for the second-half of the season.

The seven-time world champion will be hoping that he and his team-mate, Russell, can turn around the fortunes of the team after what has been a tumultuous year so far.

Article continues under video

And even though all focus was on the track during the Belgian Grand Prix, a rather curious moment off of it after Hamilton met Mercedes' ESports team has revealed a hidden struggle that Russell may well have in F1 in a YouTube video that has since gone private.

After being introduced to the group, Hamilton playfully said: "You guys are speed demons!"

Height an issue

George Russell stands 10cm (4in) taller than team-mate Lewis Hamilton

Upon noticing Dani Bereznay's height – a towering 203cm (6ft 7in) – Hamilton couldn't help but remark at the difficulties he would face if he were to drive an F1 car, noting the struggles that the 185cm (6ft 1in) Russell already has at his height.

He said: "You're lucky you can do sim [virtual] racing because you would never fit in my car...George somehow fits in, but you're way taller than George."

Hamilton himself stands at 174cm (5ft 9in) and therefore finds himself at more or less exactly the average height of a F1 driver on the current grid.

Yuki Tsunoda finds himself as the shortest driver, coming in at 159cm (5ft 3in), whereas a toss up between Esteban Ocon and Alex Albon – both a sizeable 186cm (6ft 1in) leave them as the two tallest drivers.