13 February 2024 , 09:37
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Two former F1 world champions have warned Lewis Hamilton's impending move to Ferrari could cause some tension with George Russell in their final season as team-mates at Mercedes.
Hamilton is set to join Ferrari in 2025 and, although the seven-time world champion has insisted he remains "100 per cent committed" to Mercedes for one more year, both Jacques Villeneuve and Jenson Button are concerned about the impact his departure could have on the team.
Villeneuve, who won the world title in 1997, believes "there is something wrong" inside Mercedes and he is expecting to see some "confrontation" between Hamilton and Russell this year.
When asked by Italian publication Gazzetta dello Sport what will entertain F1 fans this season, he replied: "See how Mercedes will handle the confrontation between Russell and Hamilton. Inside Mercedes, there is something wrong. Lewis no longer believes in the engineers, he no longer believes in Toto.
"The team, after all the space and freedom they gave him, didn't expect such a farewell. It was Mercedes that created Hamilton's image. They believed he would remain an ambassador for life."
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Fellow former world champion Button has echoed Villeneuve's comments, suggesting the timing of Hamilton's announcement could cause some internal problems. "It's a big deal and I cannot wait to see how he goes in the Ferrari," he said.
"The weird thing is that it is quite an early call, though, to mention it this early on. It's a year before he'll be stepping into the Ferrari, so how is that atmosphere going to be at Mercedes? It's not easy.
"What do they hold back from Lewis? I mean, he knows the ins and outs of this team very well anyway but, when they get down to the nitty-gritty, are there going to be certain things they hold back from Lewis? Possibly.
Lewis Hamilton is set to join Ferrari in 2025 (Getty)"For George [Russell], he's got to start thinking about a new team-mate again. Is it going to be someone like one of these karting rivals - Alex Albon - or is it going to be Fernando Alonso, the guy that just doesn't go away? He's always there fighting for the top spots in the top teams. So who knows?"
However, team principal Toto Wolff has insisted nothing will change this season despite Hamilton deciding to leave. "I think what I've always tried to do as a team principal, and all of us at Mercedes, is to be transparent and fair," he said.
"Nothing is going to change in that respect in 2024. We owe it to our principles and our racing intent, how we go about it, and we will respect that. And I will be sure that the drivers will respect it."
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