George Russell like Valtteri Bottas? Here’s what former F1 team principal Günther Steiner has to say

The figures clearly showed who was calling the shots at Mercedes: when Valtteri Bottas set out to score points as Lewis Hamilton’s team-mate for the Mercedes works team, he was usually significantly outclassed by the seven-time world champion. During their five years together at Mercedes, the Finn consistently finished lower down the standings than the record-breaking Grand Prix winner. Consequently, he was clearly regarded as the number two in Toto Wolff’s team.

When George Russell took the second Mercedes seat alongside Hamilton, the difference was no longer so clear-cut. The younger of the two Mercedes drivers was the higher-ranked Mercedes driver at the end of the year in two of the three years they spent together. Even after Hamilton’s departure, the 28-year-old continued to enjoy success; in his first year alongside Kimi Antonelli, he scored more than twice as many World Championship points as the rookie from Italy.

This season, however, the 20-year-old from Bologna has turned the tables. After twelve races, the curly-haired driver sits top of the World Championship standings. Russell has to settle for second place in the provisional standings, trailing his young team-mate by a whopping 59 World Championship points. That is why the question arose on ‘The Red Flags’ podcast as to whether he now faces the same fate as Bottas.

Günther Steiner says: Russell must make up his mind

And Günther Steiner’s answer is striking. The former Haas team principal says: “That’s a difficult question. Let’s see how he reacts. It certainly looks that way. But I don’t know if that’s really how it will turn out – in any case, everything currently points in that direction.”

It’s up to Russell to prevent this, the South Tyrolean emphasises. “Valtteri was obviously happy with his role, which is why he stayed there for ages. If George isn’t willing to put up with it, he’ll have to look for another seat. That won’t be easy, though, as there are no vacant seats for next year. But perhaps for 2028. Perhaps George will tell himself that he doesn’t want to be the next Valtteri Bottas and stay for ten years just to finish second for the rest of his life. That’s for him to decide, not Mercedes.”

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At Zandvoort, Russell got off to a good start in the second half of the season following the summer break. He secured the sprint pole, which he converted into a victory in the 24-lap race. In the Grand Prix, he had to settle for third place after making way for his team-mate Antonelli on the team’s instructions.