Hamilton said in the last race in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia – where he ranked seventh, 31 seconds behind Leclerc in third place – that the next season seemed “painful”.
It is two places and 16 points behind Leclerc in the championship.
But Russell said that the critics at that time are taking Hamilton to adapt to Ferrari, they were “reducing the difficulty of formula 1”.
“Sometimes you can only jump and click it, and it is clear,” Russell said. “At other times, it does not click.
“The second seat in Red Ball (alongside Max Versaben), why didn't that never succeed?
“As you know, you oppose the best drivers in the world and Charles is one of the best in the world, in a team in his entire career, in a car he knows exactly how he gets the most beneficial from that.”
Russell also said the quality of the LeClerc leadership this season should not be reduced in any evaluation of Hilmon.
“Charles has gone a little under the radar this year,” Russell said. “He spent a huge season. He had a strong race in China with a broken front wing. He had a strong race in Bahrain, and it could be said that the safety car prevented him from hitting me. He could have three platforms this season.
“Charles was doing a huge job and I was also wondering about Charles if the driver came and was immediately.”
Russell added that Hamilton, who has returned to his best is “all psychology – it is not about working more seriously. It is about your mental state. If you are not happy, it is difficult to lead quickly too.”
Hamilton's struggles have prompted some to ask whether he had overlooked his best.
He fought against Russell in the qualifiers last year, too, he lost the direct battle 19 times to five times with an average feature during the 0.171 second season. They won two race each, and they finished a place and 22 points in the championship.
In the first two seasons together, the spouses were separated by hundreds of percent of a second on average in the qualifiers, where Russell ended in the championship in 2022 and Halmanton in 2023.
