Hamilton vs Russell: All 2024 Mercedes Head-To-Head Stats
F1Tuesday, 11 June 2024 at 17:15
Updated at Tuesday, 17 September 2024 at 09:56
Lewis Hamilton and George Russell are teammates but also rivals in Mercedes in the 2024 Formula One World Championships, with their head-to-head record under microscope.
The two drivers come from two completely different generations, and their success in the sport has been on two completely different levels as well. While Hamilton is a seven-time World Champion, his teammate has only one Grand Prix win under his belt.
The 39-year-old Brit joined the team back in 2013 when he left McLaren. On the other hand, his current teammate has been with the team since 2022, after he has previously completed three seasons in Williams.
However, the two won't complete more than three seasons together, at least not right now, as Hamilton committed to Ferrari from the 2025 season, making the 2024 F1 season their last together in Mercedes.
In their first two seasons, each got one head-to-head win, as the younger driver surprisingly outscored his teammate in 2022 (275 vs. 240), but it was the more experienced Brit who was the team's leader in 2023 (234 vs. 175).
Hamilton vs Russell: All 2024 Mercedes H2H Stats:
| Category | Lewis Hamilton | George Russell |
| Championship standings | 6th (166 points) | 7th (143 points) |
| Grand Prix results head-to-head | 7 | 10 |
| Qualifying head-to-head | 4 | 13 |
| Grand Prix wins | 2 | 1 |
| Pole positions | 0 | 2 |
| Podiums | 4 | 3 |
| Best finish | 1st (x2) | 1st (x1) |
| Retirements | 1 | 2 |
| Disqualifications | 0 | 1 |
| Fastest laps | 2 | 2 |
| Grand Prix points finishes | 16 | 14 |
| Sprint head-to-head | 1 | 2 |
| Sprint race wins | 0 | 0 |
| Sprint qualifying head-to-head | 1 | 2 |
| Sprint race podiums | 1 | 0 |
2024 Bahrain Grand Prix Summary - Hamilton vs Russell:
The first race of the 2024 season was the Bahrain Grand Prix. After the previous season, which was dominated by Red Bull, the two British drivers didn't come with high expectations.
In the qualifying for the first race of the season, Russell surprisingly finished third, while Hamilton, who supposedly had a "race setup" was able to put his Mercedes only on the ninth place.
In the race, both drivers, and seemingly all Mercedes-powered cars, struggled with multiple engine-related problems, and despite a promising start from Russell, none of the drivers made it to the podium.
Still, the 26-year-old driver outscored his more experienced teammate in the first race of the season, even though he finished only about four seconds ahead of him, getting 10 points for a fifth-place finish, while Hamilton got six for crossing the line seventh.
2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix Summary - Hamilton vs Russell:
The second race of the season proved that Mercedes had a problem with their car. Their drivers struggled in the high-speed sections at Jeddah Corniche Circuit, which was reflected in their lap times.
While Mercedes cars looked the third fastest during the first race, the second race made Silver Arrows look like the fifth fastest team as they finished behind both McLaren and Aston Martin drivers.
Russell dealt better with W15's problems than his seven-time World Champion teammate both during the qualifying session (P7 vs. P8) and the race (P6 sP9).
It is important to note that Hamilton chose a riskier strategy during the race. He didn't stop for the first safer car, hoping there would be another one, but it never came.
George Russell followed by Lewis Hamilton around Jeddah Corniche Circuit
2024 Australian Grand Prix Summary - Hamilton vs Russell:
The 2024 Australian Grand Prix was a disaster for Mercedes drivers. First, Hamilton retired on Lap 15 because of an engine failure, before Russell ended in barriers in Lap 57.
That came after a controversial incident with Fernando Alonso. The Spanish driver slowed down earlier than the British driver expected, and even though there was no contact between the two, Russell found himself in the wall, distracted by Alonso's move, who was later penalized with a 20-second time penalty.
2024 Japanese Grand Prix Summary - Hamilton vs Russell:
The 2024 Japanese Grand Prix certainly bonded Mercedes driver, but it wasn't because they would share a podium together. From start of the weekend to the end, it wasn't to be for the team, and it showed on their results.
Still, the team was likely happy to see nice gesture from Hamilton, who let his teammate pass him, when he felt like Russell was quicker, but it still resulted only in P7 for the younger Brit, with the seven-time World Champion finishing in P9.
2024 Chinese Grand Prix Summary - Hamilton vs Russell:
In the first Sprint weekend of the season, Hamilton was on the brink of getting a pole position in a wet Sprint Shootout, but after Lando Norris' lap was removed, it was reinstated again, meaning the 39-year-old finished 'only' 2nd.
His teammate qualified 11th, and with the short Sprint format, there wasn't much chance for Russell to make something out of it, even though he was the only driver starting on soft tires, and ultimately finished eighth for one point.
Hamilton, on the other hand, had a perfect start, pushing Norris on the edge in Turn 1 and taking the first place from him, but Max Verstappen was just too quick and won the Sprint race in China.
In the qualifying for the Grand Prix, Hamilton wasn't able to follow up on the great result from the Sprint, as he was eliminated in Q1, placing only 18th, while Russell made it to Q3, but finished only 8th.
While for the younger Brit it was about looking ahead in the race, for Hamilton it was all about damage limitation, starting from P18, and he managed to do that really well, finishing in points in P9, with his teammate only three places ahead in P6.
Hamilton with a small trophy for P2 in the 2024 Chinese Grand Prix sprint race
2024 Miami Grand Prix Summary - Hamilton vs Russell:
Mercedes brought the first part of its big upgrade to Miami. However, looking at the results, it seems to have made little, if any, difference.
Both Hamilton and Russell didn't make it in the final part of the sprint qualifying, and neither of them was able to score points in the sprint.
Although it is important to mention that Hamilton did have a decent pace and was running in the points, he was slammed with a 20-second (drive-through) penalty after the sprint race for speeding in the pit lane.
In the qualifying, the 26-year-old showed his superior one-lap performance, but during the Grand Prix race on Sunday, he couldn't match the race pace of the seven-time World Champion. Hamilton crossed the finish line in P6, while Russell crossed it in P8.
2024 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix Summary - Hamilton vs Russell:
Mercedes brought the second half of their upgrade to the Imola Circuit. Although the team made some progress, the seven-time World Champion said after the weekend they were just stuck in no man's land.
Mercedes couldn't match the speed of the top three teams but was faster than anyone else. In the qualifying, Russell and Hamilton took P6 and P8 respectively.
Then, in the race, the 39-year-old gained one position and was catching up with his younger teammate when Russell was called into the pits for one additional box.
This allowed the 26-year-old to set the fastest lap and gain one additional point for his team, but he lost a position to his teammate, which reflects in the head-to-head score. The team principal, Toto Wolff, stated that Hamilton would have got him either way.
2024 Monaco Grand Prix Summary - Hamilton vs Russell:
Hamilton seemed faster than Russell throughout the practice session but couldn't outperform him in the qualifying session. It is important to note that the 26-year-old had an upgraded front wing, and the seven-time World Champion didn't.
There wasn't much to do during the race around the Monaco Street Circuit, and all the top ten drivers crossed the finish line in their starting positions.
Hamilton had a gap for pit stop during the race, so he stopped for fresher tires and put in the fastest lap. He crossed the finish line in P7, while Russell finished in P5.
2024 Canadian Grand Prix Summary - Hamilton vs Russell:
In Canada, everything finally came together for Mercedes, and the German team seemed to have the fastest car. Unfortunately, Hamilton couldn't put together a perfect lap in the end and had to start the race from P7.
Russell scored Mercedes's first Grand Prix pole and was in prime position to score points in Canada. However, he made too many mistakes in the wet race and finished "only" in P3.
The seven-time World Champion, who started from P7, was able to slowly make his way through the grid and finished right behind Russell, snatching the fastest lap on the final lap.
2024 Spanish Grand Prix Summary - Hamilton vs Russell:
The race in Barcelona was the second race weekend of the season where Hamilton managed to outperform Russell in qualifying (by 0,002 seconds). The two Mercedes drivers started from P3 and P4.
Starting from P3, Hamilton lost a couple of positions initially but recovered them throughout the race to score his first podium of the season- P3.
Russell got into the lead with a fantastic start, but he didn't quite match the pace of the cars around him and slowly lost three positions to finish where he started—in P4.
2024 Austrian Grand Prix Summary - Hamilton vs Russell:
The Austrian Grand Prix was the third race weekend of the season. The 26-year-old beat the seven-time World Champion in both sprint qualifying (P4 and P6, respectively) and qualifying for the Grand Prix (P3 and P5, respectively).
Both Mercedes drivers finished the Sprint race in the same position they had started. However, that wasn't the case with the Grand Prix race.
Starting from P3, Russell managed to profit from a collision between Verstappen and Norris on lap 64, which put him into the race lead. Ultimately, he brought the first victory of the season home for Mercedes.
According to his team principal, Hamilton, who started from P5, suffered significant floor damage and received a five-second penalty. This meant he wasn't able to compete for the podium and finished in P4.
George Russell's winning pose after the 2024 Austrian Grand Prix
2024 British Grand Prix Summary - Hamilton vs Russell:
There couldn't be a race which would paint how differently can a Grand Prix go on the opposing sides of a team's garage than the 2024 British Grand Prix. The weekend started great for Mercedes, as they carried over the pace from Austria, locking out the front row in qualifying with Russell first and Hamilton behind him.
At the start of the race, the two British drivers seemingly worked together to keep Norris, who was starting from P3, behind them, but when they got away from the McLaren driver, Hamilton attacked, and he succeeded, overtaking his teammate.
Yet, during the ever-changing conditions at the Silverstone Circuit, the order changed multiple times, and at one point, both McLaren drivers caught up, and even overtook Mercedes cars, and it was far from clear who would end up on the top spot of the podium.
At the end of the day, after almost three years, it was Hamilton, who recorded his first race win since the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. On the other hand, Russell was forced to retire his car during the race because of a technical issue, however, he was already running behind the podium places at the time, but with more strategic calls that were to be made, he could have still fought for the podium, or even the win.
2024 Hungarian Grand Prix Summary - Hamilton vs Russell:
The tricky qualifying session in mixed conditions caught Russell, who was knocked out of Q1 and had to start the race from P17.
A red flag interrupted the Q1, and the track got a bit wetter in the meantime. At that time, the 26-year-old needed a faster lap time, so he went out on the track for a couple of consecutive flying laps.
However, as the track got dryer and warmer towards the end of Q1, the Mercedes driver ran out of fuel, and this strategic error was what cost him so dearly.
Hamilton qualified in P5, and even though Mercedes didn't have the fastest cat this weekend, he managed to overtake Carlos Sainz at the start and then undercut and keep Max Verstappen, and keep him behind to cross the finish line in P3. Russell finished in P8.
2024 Belgian Grand Prix Summary - Hamilton vs Russell:
Mercedes had a very fast car, if not the fastest car of the weekend in Belgium. Though it wasn't so visible in qualifying, where Lewis Hamilton placed in P4 and George Russell placed in P7, it would become clear in the race.
Both drivers jumped up one position on the starting grid before the start of the race due to a 10-place grid penalty for Max Verstappen (new power unit).
Consequently, Mercedes drivers started from P6 and P3. From P3, Hamilton didn't take too long to get into the lead, which he held onto until his second stop.
The only driver who was able to get ahead of the seven-time World Champion was Russell, who decided to risk a one-stop strategy. Although Hamilton caught up with him a few laps before the end of the race, he could not overtake the 26-year-old.
The two Mercedes drivers brought home a one-two result for their team. However, Russell was disqualified after the race because his car was 1,5kg under the minimum weight. Hamilton inherited the victory.
2024 Dutch Grand Prix Summary - Hamilton vs Russell:
The Netherlands was kind of an opposite race weekend for Mercedes compared to the Belgian Grand Prix. Hamilton didn't even make it to the final part of the qualifying.
The 39-year-old qualified in P12. While Russell had a much better qualifying session and placed P4 for the Grand Prix, the Sunday race was much tougher for him than for the seven-time World Champion.
The Briton only lost positions during the race as he struggled too much with tire degradation. Ultimately, he crossed the finish line in P7, just one position ahead of the seven-time World Champion in P8.
2024 Italian Grand Prix Summary - Hamilton vs Russell:
George Russell outqualified Lewis Hamilton in Italy after the seven-time World Champion made a big mistake in the final corner. The 26-year-old qualified in P3 with a time of 1:19.440 and his teammate from P6 with a time of 1:19.513.
While he was in a promising position after qualifying, Russell made a mistake on the opening lap under braking into turn one, had to go through the runoff area, and fell down to P7 as a result.
The Briton then spent the rest of the race fighting Sergio Perez, who managed to get an undercut on him, and ultimately, he finished in the P7.
Hamilton gained one position on the opening lap but didn't have enough pace to compete with Ferraris and McLarens in front, so he was stuck in kind of a no-man's land until he crossed the finish line in P5.
Lewis Hamilton going through the newly rebuilt Ascari Chicane during the 2024 Italian Grand Prix qualifying
2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix Summary - Hamilton vs Russell:
Russell qualified in P5, his time 0.415 seconds faster than that of his teammate Lewis Hamilton in P7. The seven-time World Champion later revealed that his power unit was not built correctly.
This meant his car had to be rebuilt during the night. He took a completely new power unit, and all the changes to his car after qualifying meant he had to start the race from the pit lane.
Starting from so far back, Hamilton didn't have much hope, and the race turned out to be as challenging as he had expected. Due to overheating tires, he could pass as much as he wanted.
The 39-year-old would not have made it into points had it not been for the collision between Sergio Perez and Carlos Sainz (on the penultimate lap), which gained him two positions to cross the finish line in P9.
Russell, who had more clear air in front of him, managed to extract more from the car, and the above-mentioned collision put him from P5 onto the podium in P3.
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