Formula 1: 3 bold predictions for the 2022 season

Formula 1 prediction #2: George Russell vs. Lewis Hamilton, battle of the season

Having spent three long, painstaking years helping a floundering Williams Formula 1 program recoup as many points as possible from the back of the grid, George Russell is hungry to finally compete for a leading manufacturer.

So when James inevitably comes over the radio to give the unfortunate message that Lewis Hamilton is favored by the team, there is reasonable doubt that the young heir will heed to the call. Having looked up to Hamilton as a child, all of that admiration will fly out of the window once the two come to blows.

Russell has proven that he is one of the best drivers on the grid in terms of one-lap pace, potentially inciting a season-long trend of Hamilton attempting to overtake his younger British counterpart in the early stages of races in order to gain not only track position but strategic prioritization by the team. Such conflict would likely result in the team outcasting the young newcomer in favor of their proven point-producer.

Nico Rosberg recently commented that despite the lack of data in the cockpit, Hamilton has the influence within the team to make his own strategy calls on-track. A driver having such influence over an element of the race typically solely controlled by the pit wall is unheard of, and it is just a small display of how much power Hamilton wields within the Mercedes organization.

So when we do inevitably witness a double DNF for the Silver Arrows, it won’t be hard to predict whose feet the blame will be laid at.