LEWIS HAMILTON must admit that George Russell is now a better driver than him.
That’s according to F1 icon Ralf Schumacher, who adds that Hamilton needs to ask questions after his disastrous start to the new campaign.
Seven-time world champion Hamilton, 37, came third in the first race at Bahrain.
But he could only finish 10th in Saudi Arabia before coming fourth in Australia.
Things became even worse in the Emilia Romagna GP on Sunday as Hamilton crawled to a 13th place finish while being OVERLAPPED by Red Bull rival Max Verstappen.
And the Mercedes man is now seventh in the drivers’ standings, 58 points behind Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.
Hamilton also trails teammate Russell, 24, by 21 points.
The youngster has looked impressive so far, despite playing second fiddle to Hamilton.
And Schumacher, the brother of F1 legend Michael, believes the time has come for Hamilton to pass the torch.
He feels Russell is showing the more experienced driver up with his results.
And Hamilton must start asking questions about his own form or else risk becoming Mercedes’ No2.
Schumacher, 46, told Sky Germany: “We have to talk about Lewis Hamilton. He has to ask himself why Russell is so much faster than him. A 13th place is not Hamilton’s ambition.
“He has to admit to himself that Russell is the better driver right now. If this continues in the next few weeks, it will be exciting in the team. There could be changes in the ranking.
“I’m far from saying Hamilton has missed the boat on ending his career. Lewis is still one of the best drivers in the field.
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“However, the new concepts require drivers to change a bit. Hamilton is not so used to it.
“Russell, on the other hand, is a young driver. They obviously cope better with it.”
