Hamilton vs Russell “luck” talking point “fun to watch - it’s not going to stop”
Russell has shot down Hamilton’s claim that “luck” was involved in his choice of set-up for his W14, which enabled him to out-qualify and out-race his older, more esteemed teammate in Saudi Arabia.
Team principal Toto Wolff, at the F1 Australian Grand Prix, confirmed that the drivers are responsible for choosing their own set-ups.
"All I can say is it's fun to watch and it's not going to stop there,” Hamilton’s ex-teammate Button told Sky Sports.
“You've got two very competitive drivers. Russell last year was a very big team player, which he should be, his first time in the team.
“Now things get a little bit serious between the two of them.
“They have got a car that’s not quite there but they are out there to beat each other.
“George did a good job at the last race and I'm sure Lewis will come back at him here but he didn't have the balance he liked.
“Maybe he was right, maybe George did get a bit lucky that the set-up direction they went in was better.
“But you develop your set-up through a race weekend and maybe if you see George is strong follow that direction."
Sky’s Carig Slater previously said: “Russell out-qualified Hamilton in Jeddah by four tenths of a second. That’s a big gap between teammates.
“Maybe that stung Lewis a bit.
“Lewis said that if he had the same setup as George, or if he hadn’t made a setup mistake, he wouldn’t just be matching George’s pace, he’d be beating it. Maybe a subtle implication that he’d be ahead.
“George, I think, is standing his ground. Resisting the notion that it was only his setup, or only the fortuitous way that the two garages went with how they angled the wing of the car on the day.”
