George Russell has joked that Lewis Hamilton’s music habits were the ‘real reason’ for his departure from Mercedes last year.

Hamilton ditched the Brackley-based outfit after 12 highly-successful seasons at the end of 2024, taking to Ferrari to live out what he called a ‘childhood dream’, and to try and once again challenge for an eighth world title.

However, Hamilton’s early season form with the Maranello outfit has been disappointing to say the least, while former team-mate Russell has gone from strength to strength as Mercedes’ team leader.

The 27-year-old has already claimed four podiums in 2025, and sits fourth in the drivers’ championship, 40 points above Ferrari’s Hamilton.

Russell and Hamilton were thought to share a close relationship at Mercedes during their time as team-mates, and they still hold a lot of respect for one another, but Russell has let slip one thing that may have slightly annoyed him about the seven-time world champion.

“Big red flag,” Russell boldly confessed when asked about team-mates playing their music too loudly in a video on the F1 YouTube channel.

“I mean I’ve had that for three years! That’s the real reason Lewis had to leave, the music was too loud,” the Mercedes star joked.

Russell misses out on Hamilton success

When Russell arrived at Mercedes, the team had just won eight consecutive constructors’ championship trophies.

Hamilton himself had claimed drivers’ championship success in six of the previous eight seasons, and the all-British driver lineup was a tantalising prospect heading into the 2022 season.

However, since then neither Mercedes, Hamilton nor Russell have been able to win a championship as Red Bull and now McLaren have dominated the sport.

Russell has claimed three grand prix victories so far in his time with the team, while Hamilton claimed two in the three seasons that the pair were team-mates.

Having gone their separate ways, both British drivers will be hoping for more success in 2025, and beyond, as new regulations look to provide both of their respective teams with a chance to improve their current standing in F1’s pecking order.