Given that his contract with Mercedes expires at the end of 2025, George Russell has been forewarned once more regarding his future with the company.
George Russell has received a strong warning from Guenther Steiner, who says that if Max Verstappen decides to jump ship and join the Silver Arrows, the Mercedes star “could be screwed.” Former Formula One champion Nico Rosberg issued a similar warning to the 26-year-old, with the former Haas team principal stepping up.
Russell’s current contract expires in 2019, and he will drive alongside Kimi Antonelli for Mercedes in that year. Although Verstappen’s contract with Red Bull is set to expire in2028, speculation about his future became more intense after Lewis Hamilton announced he had signed a contract with Ferrari for the 2025 campaign.
Because Silver Arrows manager Toto Wolff has shown no qualms about his interest in the current Formula One champion, Steiner feels that Russell’s position with the team may be in jeopardy. The Italian acknowledged that the British person “could be screwed” in an interview with The Red Flags Podcast.
When asked if Russell might be let go if Verstappen decided to leave Red Bull and sign with their competitors, Steiner responded, “Yes, could be screwed, not might be screwed, could be screwed.” However, I believe he is aware of this, and the only way to validate his value is to compare the results with those of Kimi Antonelli, the racer who crashed in the first round.”
According to Steiner, Russell’s best chance of securing a spot at Mercedes is to “dominate” Antonelli in the young driver’s F1 rookie season the following year. Sure, but it’s also the way you defeat a novice. As much as Toto loves Kimi, I believe their relationship will end quickly if you dominate him, like at some point. Yes, it depends on how well you perform. You perform, and I love you just as much.”
Russell, who is from Norfolk, vowed to stick with the team and stated that both of them want to stay together after Rosberg hinted that his time at Mercedes might be coming to an end. He recently told reporters, “To be honest, we haven’t spoken about it at all.”
“I’ve been managing this team for a very long time, and Mercedes and I have always stated that we plan to stay together indefinitely. There are many interesting-to-read conversations going on, but I’m not interested in any of that personally. All I have on my mind is driving.”
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