George Russell handed ominous three-word warning with contract up for renewal
George Russell has received yet another warning about his Mercedes future with his contract coming up at the end of 2025.
Guenther Steiner has offered up a stern warning for George Russell - claiming the Mercedes star "could be screwed" if Max Verstappen decided to jump ship to the Silver Arrows. The 26-year-old received a similar warning from former Formula One champion Nico Rosberg with the ex-Haas team principal doubling down.
Russell is set to drive alongside Kimi Antonelli for Mercedes next year in what is the final year of his current contract. While Verstappen's Red Bull deal lasts until 2028, reports over his uncertain future began to heat up when Lewis Hamilton revealed he had signed with Ferrari for the 2025 season.
Silver Arrows chief Toto Wolff has made no qualms about his interest in the reigning F1 champion which has led Steiner to believe Russell's place in the team could be under threat. During an appearance on The Red Flags Podcast, the Italian admitted the Brit "could be screwed".
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Asked if Russell could be in the firing line should Verstappen decide to call it quits at Red Bull and join their rivals, Steiner said: "Yes, could be screwed, not might be screwed, could be screwed. But I think he’s aware of this and the only way to prove his worth is by having the results against Kimi Antonelli, the guy who crashed in FP1."
Steiner said Russell's best bet to lock down his place at Mercedes is to "dominate" Antonelli in what will be the youngster's debut season in F1 next season. "Yeah, but it’s also how you beat a rookie. If you dominate him, like at some stage, you know, as much as Toto loves Kimi, if he doesn’t deliver, I think the love is over pretty quick. Yeah, it is conditional on your performance. I love you as much as you perform."
Following Rosberg's warning that Russell's time at Mercedes could be coming to an end, the Norfolk native pledged his future to the team and insisted both parties want to remain together. "It’s something we’ve not spoken about at all, to be honest," he recently told reporters.
"I’ve been with this team for so so long, I’m managed by Mercedes, and we’ve always said we will be continuing together for the indefinite future. There’s a lot of conversations going on which are quite entertaining to read, but from my side, I’m not focused on any of that. I’m just focused on my driving."
