
Hamilton holds edge over Verstappen with "crunch time" experience - Russell
Hamilton holds edge over Verstappen with "crunch time" experience - Russell

George Russell believes Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes will edge this season's F1 world title fight due to their past championship experience.
Hamilton leads Max Verstappen by only two points in the drivers' standings heading into this weekend's Turkish Grand Prix, with Mercedes holding a 33-point cushion over Red Bull in the constructors' championship with seven races remaining.
The season has seen ups and downs for both drivers, with the points lead changing hands between the pair on a few occasions.
Asked for who he believed would emerge victorious, Russell said: "I think it is going to be close.
"Mercedes and Lewis have got the experience and have obviously been here seven times before in the last seven years. I think that is going to play in their favour when it gets down to crunch time.
"Red Bull and Max have been incredibly fast all year [but] purely because of the recent experiences, Lewis and Mercedes."
Russell hasn't "cast an eye on 2022"
Russell will move to Mercedes to partner Hamilton next season after three years growing Williams into a points-scoring outfit again.
After explaining attitudes from fellow drivers towards him had not changed since the announcement, Russell was pressed on his relationship with the seven-time champion.
"I am sure it will grow as we start working more together," explained Russell.
"I haven't really cast an eye on 2022 yet and for everybody, we just want to get this season out of the way.
"We are all in our own battles and it would be too early to try to integrate the two as it would be a distraction for me and for them.
"When the time is right, we will definitely hit the ground running and give it 120 per cent to make sure we are as prepared as possible for the start of the season."
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F1 Standings

Drivers
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Nyck De Vries
- Liam Lawson
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
-
Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2023
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Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2023
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Grand Prix of Australia 2023
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Grand Prix of China 2023
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Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2023
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Miami Grand Prix 2023
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Qatar Airways Gran Premio Del Made In Italy E Dell'emilia Romagna 2023
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Grand Prix of Monaco 2023
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AWS Gran Premio de España 2023
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Grand Prix du Canada 2023
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Grand Prix of Austria 2023
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Aramco Grand Prix of Great Britain 2023
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Grand Prix of Hungary 2023
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Grand Prix of Belgium 2023
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Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2023
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Grand Prix of Italy 2023
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Grand Prix of Singapore 2023
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Grand Prix of Japan 2023
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Qatar Grand Prix 2023
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Grand Prix of the United States 2023
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Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2023
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Rolex Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2023
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Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2023
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Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2023
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