“IF LEWIS were to leave,” pondered George Russell as he addressed the prospect of Hamilton joining Ferrari, “that would put Mercedes in a tricky spot. It would almost look like he’s lost faith in the team.”

Russell was speaking in an episode of Netflix’s newly released Drive to Survive series – a chapter the Mercedes PR machine envisaged would celebrate Hamilton’s decision to stay with them.

Hamilton, after all, had signed a two-year contract extension last August to remain with the Silver Arrows until the end of 2025.