Mercedes F1 theory raised over new George Russell 'mission'

Former F1 team boss Guenther Steiner believes George Russell has been informed of a new mission for the rest of the 2026 season, which is to support team-mate Kimi Antonelli in the title fight.

Antonelli currently sits at the head of the drivers' standings, 59 points clear of Russell, who is tied on points with Lewis Hamilton.

While Mercedes enjoyed a highly competitive opening period to the season, its advantage in the pecking order has slipped at recent events with both Ferrari and McLaren taking to the top step of the podium.

With the second half of the season underway, Steiner believes an internal conversation has already been had at Mercedes about the fresh approach.

“I wouldn't say they told him to be the number two driver [over the summer break],” Steiner told the Red Flags podcast. 

“They told him, 'You are now here to support Kimi'. I wouldn't call him a number two driver, but 'You need to support Kimi to win the world championship  - this is your mission for this season now'. 

“That, I think [is what] happened. If you want to win, this is what you have to do. 

“Otherwise, you take the risk, as you just said rightly before, McLaren last year. 

“You get down to the last race to lose that world championship, not to win it, to lose it.”

Mercedes intervened last time out in the Netherlands by asking Russell to allow Antonelli through for position while battling for second place, with the latter on a fresher set of tyres.

While such calls may be uncomfortable for the team to make, Mercedes is no stranger to intra-team tension, having endured several tense years of battling between Hamilton and Nico Rosberg.

But Steiner insisted a key difference to that period is the power of Toto Wolff, who is much more established within the squad compared to 10 years ago.

“They could afford to do it,” he said. “Toto, in his career, is in a different place as well. Now, he's clearly the leader. In 2016. It was his third year or whatever. 

“Toto has become this guy, who I think can tell anybody what to do. At the time, to tell Lewis Hamilton what to do, it's different.”