Is George Russell ruining Mercedes’ Verstappen dream? Ex-F1 team boss thinks so

Ex-Formula 1 team boss Guenther Steiner has hinted that Mercedes’ pursuit of Max Verstappen hinges on the decision of George Russell. The former Haas F1 team principal believes the British driver could be an obstacle in the Brackley-based outfit’s pursuit of the world champion.

Verstappen has recently been linked with a move to Mercedes, with swirling talks suggesting the Red Bull Racing driver is in conversation with team principal Toto Wolff. However, amid these speculations, Steiner has stated that Russell may be complicating matters behind the scenes. Speaking on the Red Flags podcast, the 60-year-old said:

“I think they want to give George a one-year contract to have the possibility of having Max in ’27, and George obviously says, ‘I don’t want a one-year contract. I want three years, something like this."

“Or George is [complaining] about money, and Toto just wants to put the heat on him. I don’t know the inside, but there could be a lot of reasons why this has played out like this.”

So far, Russell is without a contract at Mercedes beyond the conclusion of the current campaign. Whether the King’s Lynn native pens a new deal with the German outfit remains to be seen.

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Guenther Steiner speaks on the ideal Mercedes switch scenario for Verstappen

Steiner also weighed in on what the ideal scenario would look like if Max Verstappen were to join Mercedes. The Italian-American explained that he would expect the 27-year-old to stay with his current team, Red Bull Racing, through the 2026 campaign before considering a switch to Mercedes in 2027.

"But I think the biggest thing is, I would think Max says, 'In '26 I stay with Red Bull, see where everybody ends up performance-wise, and then maybe I make a change for '27'."

"Because I think he can do that as well—like every year, depending on the performance of the car—but obviously, Mercedes needs to have a place in '27 for him.”

So far, Verstappen has been tight-lipped on the circumstances surrounding his immediate future. Whether the Dutch driver opts to leave the Milton Keynes outfit for Mercedes remains one scenario worth keeping a close watch on.