Guenther Steiner warns Mercedes will make "changes" if George Russell struggles in 2027

Former Haas Formula 1 team principal Guenther Steiner has warned that Mercedes could make changes to its driver line-up if George Russell is still struggling by the end of next season.

While Russell entered the 2026 season as a clear favourite, his team-mate Kimi Antonelli became the youngest driver to lead the standings after back-to-back wins at the Chinese and Japanese Grands Prix. He has since gone on to win nine grands prix in total this season and is on the verge of claiming his maiden F1 title.

Heading into this weekend's Mexican Grand Prix, Russell sits second in the championship, 123 points behind Antonelli. The Briton also faces pressure from those behind him in the standings. Ferrari's Lewis Hamilton is just one point behind in third, and only nine points separate P2 and P5 in the standings.

Speaking on The Red Flags Podcast, Steiner said Russell's problems were more about confidence than the car and agreed with a suggestion that the 28-year-old's situation resembled Daniel Ricciardo's.

"I think it is more a Daniel Ricciardo situation than Lewis," Steiner said. Ricciardo's career never recovered after he was outperformed by Lando Norris at McLaren and was released from his contract early at the end of 2022.

George Russell, Mercedes, Oscar Piastri, McLaren, Lando Norris, McLaren

Photo by: Manuel Eletto / Getty Images

"I hope he can find his way back, because Daniel unfortunately didn’t really find his way back, because it even got worse for him when he was let go by McLaren at the time. That basically destroyed him," Steiner added. "But George having people around him who believe in him, like Toto, that will help."

The former team chief believes Russell will benefit from having the backing of Mercedes boss Toto Wolff, but he warned that the Brackley outfit would not wait forever.

"End of next year, I think, if he’s in the same position as now, Mercedes, and it’s not a personal thing for Toto, Mercedes will be looking, ‘what do we need to do here to be manufacturer world champion?’ because that is what they are here to do, and you cannot hold that against them.

"If George doesn’t bring the performance, there will be changes. I’m not saying that they are actively working for changes, they give him time, but if it doesn’t happen, they will make changes."

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