Former F1 driver believes George Russell's Mercedes seat is under threat

Mercedes driver George Russell is gearing up to take the place of the senior driver within the team as Lewis Hamilton is set to part ways with the Silver Arrows after the ongoing season. With his partner yet to be announced Russell’s amazing performance has made him a centre figure in the team. 

However, former Formula 1 driver Ralf Schumacher believes that Russell's Mercedes seat could be in danger. He said this considering Mercedes chief Toto Wolff’s comments about Russell’s teammate. Schumacher said, "From Toto Wolff’s point of view, Kimi Antonelli deserves the chance, and there are contractual agreements he must comply with.”

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"The contract doesn’t say which team he has to be with, but because Williams is already taken, I assume it will be with Mercedes. Wolff himself has said that he wants to focus on the future," Schumacher added.

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"But if Verstappen does decide to leave Red Bull, I can imagine that there is a seat for him at Mercedes. That could rather be bad for George Russell. He is or was a super talent. But he also makes a lot of mistakes. If a triple world champion is on the market, I can imagine that George Russell’s job could be in danger”, said former German F1 driver. 

'Max is the driver who makes a big difference', says Schumacher

Further speaking of the recently concluded Canadian Grand Prix, Ralf Schumacher said that if Max Verstappen had been driving Mercedes in Montreal team would have won the race. He said, "Mercedes would have won the race in Canada with Max at the wheel. That’s clear. Max is the driver who makes the big difference.”

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"Mercedes has had a long dry spell and urgently needs a world champion to get back to the front. Verstappen is also a guy who comes across as very conservative, pleasant, and sporty. So I could imagine that Toto Wolff and Mercedes could achieve a lot with him and would do a lot for him”, he concluded.  

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