Former F1 team owner Eddie Jordan says Lewis Hamilton is no longer "top dog" in Formula 1 or in his own Mercedes team where George Russell is currently outperforming the seven-time world champion.
Russell had outqualified Hamilton 4-3 so far this season, but the 24-year-old has outscored his illustrious teammate in six of the seven races that have taken place in 2022.
Many believe a changing of the guard is underway at Mercedes, although Russell appears to have adapted quicker to the Brackley squad's new-generation car while Hamilton has arguably been unlucky in several instances, the victim of ill-timed safety cars or unfortunate circumstances.
However, Jordan is convinced that slowly but surely, the torch is being passed at Mercedes from Hamilton to Russell.
©Mercedes
"Absolutely, I think the big surprise is, everybody globally, in Formula 1 context, thinks that Lewis Hamilton is top dog," Jordan told Britain's Channel 4.
"But he’s no longer top dog, not even in that team because Russell has taken his perch away. And I think it’s very interesting to watch and I want to see how Lewis is going to overcome that."
Countering Jordan's view, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff says that Russell outpacing Hamilton on race day is a trend that won't last indefinitely.
"No, I think when you look at the bad spells that Lewis had, I mean, look at the race: stuck again," he said after last weekend's Monaco Grand Prix.
"Contact with Esteban [Ocon], stuck behind Fernando [Alonso], the red flag in qualifying, and I think the pendulum will swing.
"So [once] these unlucky situations stop with Lewis, they're very much on the same pace. [During] one practice, one leads and then the other one. And that is great.
"Also they work together in order to get our car straight, because we need to get our car straight."
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