Lewis Hamilton praised for halting Mercedes ‘changing of the guard’

Hamilton was joined by a new colleague in George Russell ahead of the 2022 Formula 1 season

Lewis Hamilton (right) is 20 points behind teammate George Russell (AFP via Getty Images)

Jolyon Palmer has praised Lewis Hamilton for delaying a “changing of the guard” at Mercedes, saying that the seven-time world champion has “silenced the doubters” with his recent performances.

Hamilton was joined by George Russell ahead of the 2022 Formula 1 season, with the former Williams driver replacing Valtteri Bottas.

Russell impressed during the opening weeks of the campaign, scoring more consistently than his more senior teammate as Mercedes battled a number of issues with a redesigned W13 car.

But Hamilton has returned to somewhere closer to his best as the season has worn on, and now trails his fellow British driver by just 20 points in the standings with three races to go.

Palmer, who spent two seasons in Formula 1 with Renault in 2016 and 2017, believes that Hamilton has shown that he can still be competitive, and perhaps deserves to be again positioned as Mercedes’ lead driver as he prepares to chase a record eighth title in 2023.

“Always when you have a changing of the guard, there’s new pressures and George Russell coming in, Lewis [Hamilton] was comfortable alongside Valtteri Bottas for the last handful of seasons, but when you have a new talented youngster come in, it can change the dynamic,” Palmer explained on the BBC’s Chequered Flag podcast.

“Hamilton did it himself when he came into Formula 1 and overtook Fernando Alonso, and it shifted the power of the future.

“And there was a moment earlier in the season where it looked like Russell was doing it and wow, was this the changing of the guard? Is this Russell now is the future of Mercedes?

“But [Hamilton]’s overcome it emphatically as the season has gone on. When Mercedes look like they’re going to win, it’s always Hamilton that’s at the wheel.

“He was a long way ahead of George [at the United States Grand Prix] and I think he has silenced the doubters that were there, because they came out pretty hard at the start of the season.”

Hamilton came close to victory at the United States Grand Prix but lost out to Max Verstappen (AP)

Mercedes have not figured at all in the title mix this year, with Max Verstappen streaking to a second consecutive Drivers’ Championship and Red Bull sealing the Constructors’ crown in Austin.

It leaves little left to be decided as the season concludes in Mexico City, Sao Paulo and Abu Dhabi, but Hamilton is hopeful that he and his team can achieve a first win of the year after being left disappointed by a second-placed finish in Texas.

“[I feel] shattered,” Hamilton said after being beaten by Verstappen “The car was a handful today.

“It felt amazing, firstly to be in the lead. That’s something we’ve been working so hard on as a team through the year and I felt so much hope.

“But it’s okay, we’ll hold on to that, we’ll keep pushing. Go try and get everything we can in these next three [races]. It will come to us at some stage.”