Guenther Steiner feels George Russell should issue Mercedes an ultimatum

George Russell's current contract with Mercedes is bound to expire at the end of the 2025 season. While a contract extension is seemingly on the verge, ex-F1 boss Guenther Steiner has asserted that the Briton is in impeccable form and should urge the German manufacturer to hurry up on the whole ordeal.

Russell signed his last contract extension with Mercedes in 2023, which covered his time in the F1 realm until the conclusion of the 2025 season. Since then, he has taken over the team leadership role and has scored multiple race victories.

The 27-year-old sits fourth in the interim drivers' standings and has seemingly been a "ghost" driver lately, as he has always been lurking in the background to pounce at even the slightest hint of a solid result. Despite this, the team has not renewed his contract, an odd sighting as Mercedes usually gets contract terms nailed on around the summer break timeline.

So, witnessing how Mercedes is dragging on Russell's seemingly imminent contract extension, Steiner suggested that the five-time race winner can play games with his current employer. He argued on the Red Flags podcast that the German squad doesn't have any realistic option to replace Russell, and the Briton could play some games if he is brave enough:

"I think that, for George, is perfectly fine with the form he’s in at the moment. If he makes that commitment, I think somebody will find a place for him. And we were just talking about Alpine, maybe Alpine says, 'Hey, if you’re on the market...' to get a calibre like him in a car, everybody will want him. Obviously, most of the teams are full or all of them are full, but somebody will come up with a solution, but, as you say, if he’s brave enough and wants to play hardball." (11:17 onwards)

"I think there is very little leverage for both of them. But I think George has got more than Mercedes because who are you going to put in there?"

George Russell has been under the wings of Mercedes since 2017.

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Toto Wolff has teased that George Russell's contract extension is on the horizon

Mercedes' Toto Wolff (L) and George Russell (R) - Source: Getty

Like Kimi Antonelli, George Russell was also a project that Mercedes worked on. He claimed his GP3 and F2 titles while donning the Mercedes Academy badge and moved to Williams for a three-year stint to prove his worth to the Brackley-based squad.

While Mercedes' bid to move Russell into the top league has worked flawlessly, owing to the results that the two have had together, their contract situation has been a highly debated topic in the paddock.

Some might raise concerns about Russell's job security at the team, but team supremo Toto Wolff has often assured that the deal will soon fall in place, as he said (via Motorsport.com):

"We’ll announce it soon enough."

George Russell has amassed 237 points in the 2025 season so far.