The F1 executive and commentator believes Lewis Hamilton is a ‘cause for concern’ for Toto Wolff and Mercedes, and that Max Verstappen will replace George Russell if he joins Mercedes.
F1 analyst Mark Gallagher has praised Lewis Hamilton following his first win as a Ferrari driver in Spain and believes Mercedes will alter their strategy, with the Brit sitting 41 points behind Kimi Antonelli in the Drivers’ World Championship standings and climbing the F1 betting odds.
Elsewhere, as rumours continue to swirl over Max Verstappen joining Mercedes, Gallagher expects George Russell to make way for the four-time world champion.
Gallagher also analysed the recent performances of both Red Bull drivers and claimed the team is currently going through a transitional phase following the departures of several senior figures. He also questioned whether Red Bull will be able to keep Verstappen, regardless of the offer on the table.
Lewis Hamilton won for the first time as a Ferrari driver, how important was this for this year’s World Championship?
He’s been much closer to Charles and actually able to overcome Charles on occasion. I thought he drove a brilliant race weekend. Aside from the delight it’s caused amongst Ferrari and Hamilton fans, which is thoroughly deserved, I think it’s also created a headache for Mercedes.
Having Lewis Hamilton second in the championship is a cause for concern because we’re already seeing discussions about team orders much earlier than expected for Mercedes. He’s only 41 points behind Kimi, and George is a further 11 points back.
I think we saw enough in Spain to realise that Mercedes now needs to prioritise Kimi over George. Otherwise, they’ll end up doing what McLaren did in 2007 and split points between their drivers, allowing the championship to go elsewhere.
The thing about Lewis’s win is that he’s now at the stage of his career, rather like when Niki Lauda returned to Formula 1 with McLaren, where older and more experienced drivers realise that you don’t have to win every race to win the championship.
He probably only needs four or five wins. He’s got one under his belt now, and suddenly he’s right in the conversation. Charles must be sitting at home, wondering how on earth this has happened. He’s 40 points behind the elder statesman of Formula 1. Everywhere you look, it’s a real turn-up for the books, so it’s very exciting.
Previously, people were wondering if Lewis would retire after this season, and now he is challenging for an eighth world title, how incredible is this turnaround?
As we’ve discussed before, Lewis wears his heart on his sleeve, and as a result, we all experience the ups and downs with him. After the win in Spain, people were posting montages on Instagram showing some of Lewis’s comments from last year when he felt he wasn’t doing a good enough job.
But when great drivers get even the slightest sniff of success, they grab it with both hands. Fernando Alonso has had long periods without wins, and we’ve seen the same thing with him.
Lewis has had a tough baptism at Ferrari due to the previous regulations and because he needed time to settle into the team. But based on Spain, it looks like he’s found his speed.
The good thing about Spain is that it’s a track with lots of different types of corners, which makes it a good benchmark. And of course, Lewis loves winning back home at Silverstone.
Lewis admitted he was in a dark place prior to winning in Spain, what do you make of his comments?
Formula 1 drivers – he has moments of self-doubt. They’re never completely satisfied.
Because Lewis is scrutinised more than almost anyone else in the sport – and arguably has the biggest personal brand in Formula 1 – everything he does is magnified, both positively and negatively.
You’d have to be a robot not to enjoy a victory like that. It may well prove to be one of the most special wins of his career because it came with Ferrari.
It’s a little bit like Damon Hill leaving Williams and winning for Jordan in 1998. That victory silenced a lot of critics. In some ways, that single Jordan win did as much for Hill’s reputation as some of his victories in dominant machinery.
Lewis winning with Ferrari has a similar effect. It answers those critics who said he only succeeded because he was driving a dominant Mercedes. There were never many critics, but for those who doubted him, this is a powerful response.
Championships are won by small margins, and that win has not only reignited Lewis’s title hopes but also made the championship battle far more exciting.
With Kimi set to be Mercedes No.1 driver for the rest of the season, and rumours of Max Verstappen joining Mercedes, could this be the end of George Russell at Mercedes?
Unfortunately, yes. If you have a choice between Max and George, you take Max every time. Even Fernando Alonso said recently that Max is the best driver in Formula 1 right now.
Everyone can see that. He nearly won the World Championship last year against the odds, and he’s doing a great job again this year under difficult circumstances. The Red Bull is probably only the fourth-fastest car. He’s behind both McLarens, both Ferraris and both Mercedes on many weekends.
Max has absolutely no interest in driving around in the fourth-fastest car. He wants to win. I don’t think it’s about money. He’s earned more than enough and is set for life. If you asked him whether he’d rather earn another cheque or win another championship, he’d choose the championship.
Ultimately, it’ll be a competitive decision. One of the major factors will be whether he ends up fighting wheel-to-wheel with Kimi Antonelli and whether Mercedes establish themselves as the team to beat.
The only way Red Bull can keep him is by offering something truly extraordinary. Not just money, something structural, perhaps a long-term role within the organisation.
Max can’t afford to sit around waiting to see whether Red Bull can fight their way back to the front of the grid. He’s still young, but if it takes three years, he’ll be approaching 30 before they’re winning again.
Red Bull say they have upgrades coming for the Austrian Grand Prix. Can they bounce back?
It is a difficult time for them. They’ve had significant changes for reasons largely of their own making. They’ve lost Christian Horner, Adrian Newey and several other key figures. The list goes on and on.
The people still there are very capable, but when you replace key personnel, the rhythm of an organisation changes. The previous setup was proven. It worked. Now there are new people in new roles doing things differently.
Unfortunately, all of that is happening at exactly the same time as a major regulation change and the arrival of Red Bull Powertrains. It’s a perfect storm: new leadership, new regulations, new technology and new systems. In some ways it’s actually impressive they’re still fighting and are fourth in the championship.
