Russell on Hamilton: "I think he's like a good wine"

George Russell is happy that seven times world champion Lewis Hamilton has signed a two year contract with Mercedes. According to the young Brit, Hamilton is comparable to a good bottle of wine. He gets better with age.

Russell has been a Mercedes junior for many years and is hoping for the redeeming call from Toto Wolff that he will be Hamilton's teammate in 2022, but for now he has yet to put his full focus at Williams. However, the 2018 Formula 2 champion is pleased with Hamilton's extension at Mercedes.

"I'm really pleased that Lewis is staying in the sport. He's clearly a global superstar and is still riding at an exceptional level," Russell revealed at Motorsport-total.com. The fact that Hamilton is already 36 years old doesn't mean his achievements are diminishing. "I think he's like a good wine, he gets better with age."

In 2021, Hamilton is in a fierce battle for the title, where Max Verstappen now holds a lead. "Max and Red Bull seem very strong. But I'm sure Lewis will push. Like I said, I think it's really great for F1 that a guy like Lewis stays."

Asked whether Hamilton's contract still matters to Russell's own chances of a Mercedes seat, the Briton dodges the question. "Personally I want to compete against the best drivers in the world and I honestly think we have a really good group of drivers on the grid at the moment who deserve to be here," he concludes.