P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Russell: Hamilton and I trust each other amid tense F1 battles
The Mercedes drivers, Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, have had several incidents on track this season. They collided during qualifying for the Spanish Grand Prix and also crashed at Turn 1 in Qatar, with Hamilton taking the blame for the latter incident. Russell believes these incidents are normal when two drivers are evenly matched in performance. He mentioned that they go through their strategies in meetings and there is no pace difference between them. Russell emphasized that they trust each other to give enough room on track, even in tense moments. He described the Qatar crash as a small misjudgment and saw it as a missed opportunity for a podium or potential victory. Russell admitted that the 2023 season has been psychologically tough for him, but he believes that his mistakes are a result of pushing himself harder than ever to surpass Hamilton. He wants to be ahead of his teammate and is not satisfied with being on par with him.
