‘An F1 world champion in the making’ – Russell praised as he looks to topple Hamilton

George Russell has been called a ‘world champion in the making’ as he looks to seal the rare feat of beating teammate Lewis Hamilton in the drivers’ championship.

Russell enters the Abu Dhabi finale 25 points ahead of fellow Mercedes driver Hamilton, with 26 points up for grabs for a win and fastest lap.

Should Russell beat his fellow Brit in the standings, it would be only the third season in which Hamilton has finished lower than a teammate during his trophy-laden 16-year career.

Russell would also be doing so in his first season with Mercedes, in a team where Hamilton has dominated the sport, picking up six of his seven world titles, becoming Formula 1’s most successful driver of all-time.

The 24-year-old would clinch the achievement on a huge high too, having won last time out in Brazil for his first ever F1 victory, capping a masterful weekend display where he was untouchable.

One of the six men to attempt the near-impossible task of toppling Hamilton as a teammate, Heikki Kovalainen, has been as impressed as anyone by Russell, as he told talkSPORT.

The former McLaren and Renault driver said: “I’ve been very impressed, I think he’s come into Mercedes very strong and had a very strong beginning of the season.

“Perhaps Lewis’ beginning of the season was worse than you would expect from him, I think he was experimenting with trying a lot of different things on his car, trying to sort out the bouncing issues.