Lewis Hamilton is looking forward to "a more honest duel" with team-mate George Russell next year after both Mercedes drivers' struggles in 2022.
When Russell's move to the Silver Arrows was announced, British Formula 1 fans were delighted about the idea of both of them gunning for the title this year. But it hasn't worked out that way, as they have been hampered by an inconsistent car which hasn't been able to compete with Red Bull and Ferrari.
As a result, neither of them has won a race, and dreams of a title push faded long ago. But for Russell it has still been an encouraging year, achieving remarkable consistency in an impressive run of top-five finishes, which has helped him to climb above Hamilton in the drivers' standings.
With three races remaining, he has a 20-point gap over the seven-time world champion. Russell sits fourth on the leaderboard, with Hamilton two places below – Carlos Sainz splits the two Mercedes drivers, 16 points behind one and four points ahead of the other.
In a new interview, Hamilton said he was impressed by the job Russell has done in his first year with the team. But on the subject of being beaten by the younger Brit, he suggested the team's car woes mean it has not been a straight fight between them.
"It was an unusual year. George is doing a great job. I do not have a problem with it," he told Auto Motor und Sport. "There are no problems between us. George and his team haven't experimented with the car as much as we have. That is normal.
"I've been around longer and have known for ten years what makes people tick and how you have to exchange ideas with them. Andrew Shovlin [Mercedes chief engineer] and I can argue about things, argue constructively.
"George is new to the team and he's doing his job the best he can. He tries a lot less during setup. I'll try this and that, grab another wing and see if it helps. Hopefully next year if we have a better car then we can focus on getting the most out of the car instead of messing with crazy set-ups.
"Then it will be a more honest duel. If he finishes ahead of me in the world championship this year, I won't mind. We're going for fifth and sixth places. It would be a different story if it was a matter of first and second place."
