Here's what Lewis Hamilton is really like as a team-mate

Hamilton, Ferrari, socials — Photo: © IMAGO

Lewis Hamilton

Here's what Lewis Hamilton is really like as a team-mate

Lewis Hamilton's true nature has been revealed

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Friday 9 January 2026 10:58

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Lewis Hamilton's former Mercedes F1 team-mate George Russell has revealed what the champion is really like to work with.

Hamilton and Russell spent three seasons together as team-mates at Mercedes, with the younger of the pair outclassing the champion by 22 points in their final season together.

Since Hamilton's exit for Ferrari, Russell has stepped up as the natural team leader at Mercedes, claiming two race wins in the 2025 season and demonstrating why Toto Wolff should have faith in him as a future world champion.

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In conversation with men's magazine Maxim, Russell was asked if he had learned any lessons sharing a garage with Hamilton at Mercedes, lessons he has adopted since his departure.

What Russell admires about Hamilton

Of Hamilton's strengths, Russell named his ability to keep spirits high at the team and his work ethic, claiming the Brit was always the last one out of the door.

"I think the biggest thing I learned from him is just how he kept the morale around the team so high, even through moments of difficulty," Russell explained.

"You know, he was a true leader within this team, and he was a true hard worker. He was the first in, last out, and that set the standard for everybody else within the team."

Hamilton will have to carry this rallying spirit through to his second season with Ferrari, with the Maranello-based squad very much in need of this focus after a calamitous 2025 season.

Ferrari could only manage a fourth place finish in the 2025 constructors' championship, and neither Hamilton nor Charles Leclerc managed to acquire a single race win. For Ferrari in 2026, the goal is clear. They must become victorious once again.

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F1 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes George Russell