George Russell has reduced the gap to teammate and World Championship leader Andrea Kimi Antonelli to 25 points after his second place during the British GP. However, Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff is well aware that the younger driver is performing better, thinks Ralf Schumacher. The former driver therefore advises Russell on how best to keep his seat at the Silver Arrows: ‘He must strike when he is faster than Kimi’.
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George Russell entered the 2026 season as the clear favorite for the title, but had to give up this role to teammate Andrea Kimi Antonelli with two wins in nine Grands Prix. The young driver broke record after record with his five Grand Prix wins between the recent GP China and the GP Monaco. However, Russell himself already claimed he would still be driving for Mercedes in 2027, and Ralf Schumacher also sees no reason why the Brit should leave the team prematurely.
“Don’t forget that George Russell has had a relationship with Toto Wolff for a very long time,” said Schumacher in the Backstage Boxengasse podcast. “Even as a child, he came up to him and said: ‘One day I want to drive for you.’ As long as Russell continues to behave professionally, doesn’t play political games, and doesn’t try to undermine Kimi Antonelli, I actually see no reason why Mercedes would replace him.”
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Schumacher’s advice to Russell
Still, Schumacher thinks Mercedes is certainly aware that Kimi Antonelli is performing better. “Toto Wolff also made very clear in our interview how he sees the situation,” Schumacher added. “He literally said that Kimi is ‘in a different class’. You really can’t say it any clearer. And to be fair: at this moment, that’s exactly how it is.”
“That’s why I think if George wants to keep his seat, he simply has to accept that he must continue to deliver good results,” is Schumacher’s advice to the more experienced Mercedes driver. “He must strike when he is faster than Kimi or when Kimi has problems.”
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