'He's talking NONSENSE!' - Russell gives blunt verdict on Hamilton ahead of Dutch Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton's former teammate, George Russell, has dismissed the seven-time world champion's recent self-criticism as "nonsense."

This follows Hamilton's comments in Hungary, where he called his own performance "useless" after an early qualifying exit and failing to score points in the race.

"Every time, I'm the one making a mistake," Hamilton said after qualifying P12 in Hungary.

"I'm useless, completely useless. I'm not contributing anything."

Mercedes driver George Russell has now dismissed his former teammates remarks, while showering praise on the 40-year-old.

"Of course, Lewis is talking nonsense when he says something like that because he is the greatest driver of all time," Russell was quoted to have said at Zandvoort, as per Racing News 365.

"When you get out of the car and face the media, you go through a whole range of emotions in 10 minutes. When you have a bad day, you feel exactly like Lewis did."

Russell is confident that Hamilton still has a lot to offer both Formula 1 and Ferrari.

Lewis Hamilton's debut season with Ferrari has been a significant challenge, a stark contrast to his dominant years with Mercedes.

Currently tipped for an imminent retirement, the seven-time champion has yet to score a grand prix podium in his first 14 races, a first for him in his career since 2009.

While he did secure a Sprint race victory and pole position in China, these highs have been overshadowed by consistent struggles, particularly in qualifying.

His morale appeared to hit a low point at the Hungarian Grand Prix, where he described himself as "useless" after qualifying a distant 12th.

Despite these difficulties, Hamilton has maintained a positive outlook, stating that the summer break was a great restart for him and the team.

Speaking to the written media at Zandvoort, Hamilton said via Sky Sports F1: "The break came at a perfect time.

"During that time was enough for me to be able to reset.

"I feel determined to, and motivated.

"We're going to work hard, keep our heads down, try to change a few things in our approach and start to enjoy ourselves.

"There's been so much pressure in this first half of the season, it's not been the most enjoyable, so I think just remembering that we love what we do, we're all in this together and yeah, we're trying to have some fun."

The Dutch Grand Prix is scheduled to take place from Friday, August 29th to Sunday, August 31st, 2025, at the Circuit Park Zandvoort.

The weekend will feature three days of on-track action, with the main race taking place on Sunday.