George Russell expects ‘illegal’ accusations from Lewis Hamilton and has reply ready | F1 | Sport
George Russell is bracing himself for ‘illegal’ accusations from former team-mate Lewis Hamilton ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix. Russell took the first race of 2026 with consummate ease, finishing close to three seconds ahead of fellow Mercedes man Kimi Antonelli.
In turn, the Italian was a whopping 15 seconds in front of third-place Charles Leclerc, with Mercedes having lived up to their pre-season expectations. The Silver Arrows have been tipped to dominate this season, with Russell the bookies’ favourite to be crowned world champion.
It comes amid an ongoing debate around the new engine regulations, with several drivers in the paddock having complained about the controversial changes. Unsurprisingly, Russell isn’t among those, but the Brit has admitted he’s expecting to cop an earful off Hamilton when the pair travel to the next race.
Speaking after his win in Melbourne, the 28-year-old remarked: “I’m flying with Lewis, so I’m sure I’m going to hear ‘your engine is so good, your compression ratio is illegal’ and this and that. So yeah, I think I’ll just try and get to sleep quite early.”
Russell was asked how he’d respond if Hamilton did make those digs, with the Mercedes driver jokingly responding: “I’d just say ‘shut up and focus on your own stuff’.”
Speaking in Australia, he said: “It is chaos, and we are going to have a big accident. Which is a shame because we are driving, and the ones just waiting for something to happen and to go quite horribly wrong, and that is not a nice position to be in.
“Depending on what drivers do, you can have closing speeds of 30-50kph, and when someone hits another driver at that speed you are going to fly and go over the fence and do a lot of damage to yourself and maybe to others, and that is a pretty horrible thing to think about.”
It’s a quick turnaround to the next race, with the Formula One circus rolling into China for race two of the season. Russell will be aiming to become the first Mercedes driver since Hamilton in 2019 to win at the Shanghai International Circuit.
