Mercedes star Lewis Hamilton was shown why he wanted former team-mate Valtteri Bottas to stay at the Japanese Grand Prix, according to former Williams team boss Peter Windsor. Hamilton clashed with Silver Arrows colleague George Russell at Suzuka, something that rarely happened when he partnered Bottas.
Ex-Mercedes man Bottas was Hamilton’s wingman for each of his consecutive four World Championship victories between 2017 and 2020. But the Fin departed to make way for Russell at the start of 2021.
Russell’s arrival has seen the dynamic between the two Mercedes drivers change, with both now challenging each other for victories. That battle has come to a head in recent Grands Prix, with the pair going wheel-to-wheel on several occasions in Japan.
Windsor believes that seven-time world champion Hamilton wanted Bottas to stay to ensure a better balance in the team. Russell’s arrival from Williams at the start of 2022 has, according to Windsor, caused a rift between the drivers.
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“You could tell that there is definitely acrimony between the two now – and that’s not a good thing,” Windsor said on his YouTube channel.
“Imagine if Mercedes had a Championship-winning car and this was the World Championship and grand prix wins they were racing for, imagine what it would be like between Lewis and George.
“The good thing is it’s only for the minor placings, it’s all you can say. ‘Does it really matter that much?’ I suppose is what you’d say in the boardroom afterwards.
“But if they do get in a position actually to be doing something serious in 2024 – a big ask, you’ve got to say – then how are you going to manage that Lewis Hamilton/George Russell imbalance?
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“Lewis always wanted to keep Valtteri, not necessarily because he loved Valtteri but because it was the right balance of the team. He could feel that. That was the same as Max Verstappen [and] Sergio Perez. It came to the surface more than ever before, I think, in the Japanese Grand Prix.”
Hamilton and Russell’s battle was among the highlights in Japan, with the pair both frustrated by the other’s approach. The latter overtook his colleague at the final chicane in the first part of the race, but was passed by Hamilton immediately on the next straight.
They then went wheel-to-wheel, with Hamilton forcing his fellow Briton off the track. Hamilton ultimately finished fifth with Russell in seventh, having been passed by Carlos Sainz in the final moments.
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