Mercedes could change line-up if Russell is still struggling at end of 2027, Steiner says

Former Haas team principal Guenther Steiner has warned that Mercedes could change its driver line-up if George Russell is still struggling at the end of 2027. Steiner said Mercedes was giving Russell time and was not actively working on changes, but would act if the Briton failed to deliver the performance it needed.

Ahead of the 2026 Mexican Grand Prix, Russell was second in the championship, 123 points behind Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli. Lewis Hamilton was third, one point behind Russell, with only nine points separating second and fifth.

On The Red Flags Podcast, Steiner said Russell’s problems were more about confidence than the car. He compared Russell’s situation with Daniel Ricciardo’s rather than Lewis Hamilton’s, and hoped Russell would find his way back. Steiner said Ricciardo had not really done so after McLaren let him go at the end of 2022.

Steiner said that support from people around Russell who believe in him, including Mercedes boss Toto Wolff, could help. He framed any eventual change as a performance decision rather than a personal matter for Wolff: Mercedes’ aim, he said, was to win the manufacturers’ championship.