Russell backs Hamilton to bounce back after 'useless' comment ahead of Dutch GP

George Russell said Lewis Hamilton was talking nonsense about being 'absolutely useless' and expected his former Mercedes teammate to bounce back from a tough start to his time at Ferrari.

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Seven-times world champion Hamilton, winner of a record 105 races, was hard on himself after qualifying 19th at the last race in Hungary before the August break while teammate Charles Leclerc secured pole.

The 40-year-old has yet to stand on the podium for the Italian team.

"Of course he's talking nonsense when he says something like that because he’s the greatest driver of all time," Russell told reporters ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix.

"He's still an exceptional driver, we saw it -- he obviously won the sprint straight away at the start of the year in China," added the Briton.