Russell laughs: “I’ll travel with Hamilton and he’ll complain about the engine and the compression ratio. I’ll tell him to shut up.”

There is a new world leader

For the first time in his career, George Russell leads the championship of the world of Formula 1. A not so unlikely scenario on the eve of this world championship, given that many indicated Mercedes as the favorite for the title and the first race in Australia confirmed these feelings.
The W17 impressed above all in terms of power unit and energy management, while in terms of chassis the Ferrari seems to be on par with the Silver Arrows.

Russell teases Hamilton

Russell in Melbourne got his sixth victory in F1 – appearing in the all-time ranking with prestigious names such as Brooks, Surtees, Rindt, Gilles Villeneuve, Laffite, Patrese, Ralf Schumacher and Perez – and in interviews he was therefore euphoric about the prospects that seem to open up before him in 2026.
The Englishman was asked for a comment at Lewis Hamilton’s Saturday statementswhich had once again brought up the issue of the Mercedes compression ratio.

Russell didn’t have to wait and joked with the journalists Viaplay: “I’ll fly home with Lewis. He’ll probably tell me, ‘Your engine is so powerful… Your compression ratio is illegal..’. This, that, that… I think I’ll just try to sleep. But first I will tell him: “Shut up and focus on your car!”, he concluded with a laugh.