So Lewis is not 100% for Abu Dhabi....my irritation deepens...

[Nitrodaze]

My reasoning is based only on what I have seen and heard. I'm pretty sure that I have not claimed any first hand knowledge. All I know is that there are bits and pieces in front of me and I want to assemble them into a larger picture just like a jigsaw puzzle.

Here are a few things dancing around in my mostly empty skull:
Did Lewis underperform or did the car let him down? We can't know if Russel would have won the race had Mercedes not screwed it up for him.
Earlier in the season Perez was forced out of 2 races so why the rush to get Lewis back in the car for the very last race even though they had already won everything possible.
I doubt that Lewis' contract would have any penalties regarding illness. But F1 must certainly have restrictions regarding drivers, or anyone, that bring their symptoms to the track. Why was Lewis exempt?

If this were a movie (and in my head it IS a movie) then I think it might go like this:

A demanding driver has reached the end of his contract and is negotiating to renew it for next year and beyond. Suddenly he is stricken by the latest virus and is forced to sit out a race or two. But the team must move on to the next race and are forced to replace the driver until he is well enough to return and is free of symptoms. Watching from his sickbed, the driver is horrified to see that the replacement is not only winning but putting distance on the rest of the field.
This is terrible! His insecurity is getting the best of him. He wonders, "What if that guy is better than me?". "And what about my contract? Am I in a worse position now? I wish this replacement guy was having a terrible day so people could see for themselves just how valuable I am? I've got to get back in the car next week".

He makes a phone call. "Hello, Toto! I'm coming back next weekend!". "We think you need to stay home and rest", they say. "After all we have nothing to gain", . "Why is this so hard?", says the driver to himself. "Why it was just last year I was able to force the team to let me air my political views".

The driver shows up with symptoms and does poorly. Now what?

There are 3 stories here:
Why was Lewis allowed on the grid in the first place. Having a negative test does not mean that you can't pass along your symptoms. How did he get away with that?

I think Lewis demanded to come back and Mercedes caved in. My respect for Mercedes has taken a big hit for their lack of courage in this case and willingness to give Lewis a platform for his political views. No other driver would be permitted to exhibit that sort of behavior.

Both Lewis and Mercedes should be ashamed of their treatment of George Russel. He drove a magnificent race and should have been rewarded after the team ruined it for him. Instead, they threw him under the bus. Just pathetic!

I should also mention that Williams now has an opportunity to do a great thing for George by releasing him from his contract in such a way as to save his seat but be given the chance to shop his skills to a better team. It would be a great gesture.

Sorry buddy. Your post read like Hamilton bashing to me. You carry on as if an entitlement has not been met. A negative test means whoever it is, is cleared to go racing. No special privileges was given to Hamilton. Once he had the all clear, his contract demands that he provide his services in the car. Though the team have the option to ask him to step aside for someone else to drive the car if they have reservations of his fitness to race.

Using phrases like "a demanding driver" is also very disrespectfull to Hamilton. I am not sure if that is your intention but it comes across negatively. It is what it is. Russell, is more a bother to Bottas than to Hamilton. To make out that Hamilton is bothered that Russell might be better than him is ridiculous to say the least. I am sure he might identify with Russell relative to his F1 formative years alongside Alonso at Mclaren [2007 season].

That said, l must admit that l would like to see Russell in the next car so that we can see how he measures up to the benchmark of all driver, which is Hamilton.

The other thing is you inherently suggest that Bottas is crap. Which is highly debatable. That the Mercedes were slower than the Redbull in Verstapenn's hands at Abu Dhabi brings into question the competences of both Mercedes driver's in your eyes. Somehow, you are inclined to think Russell may have won the race given the drive. I must agree that he may have finished ahead of Bottas, but certainly not win the race.

The worrying thing is that you are already heaping a huge amount of expectation on the young shoulder of this very promising up and coming star. This is the sort of pressure that could burn him out before his prime. We see that he can be great given the chance, equipment and some luck, but that is not guaranteed. And these sort of expectations would not help him either. You seem to not realize why Hamilton was able to reach seven world titles. He did it partly because he took the pressure out of reaching the seven title. One step at a time, he sneaked up to Seven drivers world championship titles.

So l suggest we give him [Russell] the chance to evolve at the pace of idiosyncracies of the Mercedes team. But don't disrespect those that have proved themselves against all benchmarks of F1 greatness in the process of your appreciation of the up and coming talent.