Lewis Hamilton warned that he will not be spending too much time working with Mick Schumacher next season despite the German's Mercedes move.
Schumacher will be the team's third driver after he lost his Haas race seat. The move has been seen as a romantic one, given his legendary father Michael spent the final few seasons of his Formula 1 career racing for the Silver Arrows.
Hamilton gave his public seal of approval to the move with a gesture on social media. He posted a photo of the young German wearing Mercedes attire with the caption: "Welcome to the team," along with a fist bump emoji.
He later described Schumacher as "a great talent" who will be "an asset" for the team. However, despite that positive reference, Hamilton has gone on to clarify that their paths will probably not cross all that often.
"You don't work that closely with the third driver anymore," he is quoted as having told German outlet Sport Bild. "It's a lot of simulator work and not like it used to be, even though we'll still be team-mates."
Of course, Hamilton will continue to work closely with George Russell after a relatively successful first season together. While their Mercedes cars were not capable of challenging for much silverware, the two Brits got along well and did a good job of maximising the points that they could collect.
Reflecting on his first year of working with the seven-time world champion, Russell said: "The relationship has been harmonious. What impressed me the most with Lewis is seeing how he works with the team.
"How he gets the most out of the people around him, how he continues to keep morale high when moments are tough and, ultimately, what I already knew is how damn fast he is and how much of a challenge it is being team-mates with a guy like him.
"This first year with Mercedes has been so great in so many ways. Dealing with a huge group of people who are incredibly talented in what they do has really pushed me to try and be better at what I do. That goes for within the driver's seat and also the journey we have been on as a team.
"With the struggles at the start of the year, the car being off the pace and then coming through towards the end of the season, it has been really exciting to see that progress especially heading into 2023."
