Former System 1 Group Principal Guenther Steiner has responded to solutions that George Russell might change into Mercedes ‘subsequent Valtteri Bottas’.
The Brit presently sits second within the Drivers’ standings, 59 factors behind teammate Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who has taken the game by storm in his second season.
Russell entered the season because the early title favorite, and appeared to set the tone with a opening-race victory in Australia.
However Antonelli’s subsequent blistering run of kind noticed him take the ascendancy, scoring six wins to Russell’s two, the second of which being earned in Austria.
Russell has suffered his justifiable share of dangerous luck, however has additionally seemingly struggled to persistently familiarize yourself with the German marque‘s W17 challenger, one thing Antonelli has change into acustomed to with extra ease.
The #63’s tenure with Mercedes has largely been a profitable one, having outscored former teammate Lewis Hamilton twice within the three seasons they have been paired collectively.
These three seasons have been a great distance away from Hamilton’s earlier partnership with Bottas, who was usually seen because the dutiful No. 2 to the seven-time World Champion.
And talking on the Crimson Flags Podcast, Steiner, when requested if Russell might change into the ‘subsequent Bottas’, was inclined to consider it may very well be the case.
“That’s a troublesome query. Let’s see how he reacts,” he stated. “It appears to be like prefer it. I don’t know if he’s or not, however it appears to be like prefer it – it actually appears to be like prefer it.”
George Russell has F1 future in his personal arms, says Steiner
Steiner did, nevertheless, declare that Russell might maintain such lofty ambitions that he might think about a future away from the Silver Arrows, ought to Antonelli win the title and set a development of forthcoming dominance.
“However it’s in his personal management as nicely,” the previous Haas boss added. “Valtteri clearly was completely satisfied to be that as a result of he stayed there ceaselessly.
|”If George isn’t proud of that, he wants to search out one thing else to do. It’s not straightforward to search out one thing else to do, as a result of there’s no seats for subsequent yr, however 2028, possibly.
“Perhaps George says, ‘I don’t need to be the subsequent Valtteri Bottas and right here for 10 years ending second the remainder of my life. I have to go elsewhere’.
“However that’s all the way down to him, to not Mercedes, to determine.”
Russell actually produced extra of his regular kind in Zandvoort, taking victory within the Dash Race, and adopted it up with third within the Grand Prix, permitting Antonelli by into second resulting from a workforce association.
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