To be frank, I think Mercedes should give Hamilton the middle finger and swoop for George Russell from Williams. Buying out his contract would be cheaper than Hamilton’s demands and they’d still win both championships. Hamilton is good but he’s not that good and his demands, if these claims are accurate, are absolutely ludicrous.

Also, I think he recognises how good Russell is and that’s why he wants a teammate veto. He knows he can beat Bottas but he probably doesn’t want to chance Russell in 2022.