While the transfer market is relatively quiet during the summer break, Guenther Steiner has rekindled speculation about George Russell’s future with another German manufacturer.
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According to the former Haas team principal, the British driver could already be considering leaving Mercedes after the 2027 season, with Audi as a potential destination.
Officially, Russell still seems firmly established at Mercedes.
The Antonelli pitfall
Toto Wolff has chosen to keep his driver duo for 2027 and the Briton himself has reaffirmed his commitment to the German team. But the situation has become more complex since the spectacular emergence of Kimi Antonelli.
The young Italian is having an exceptional season and has become the youngest driver in history to lead the world championship after his wins in China and Japan. At the summer break, Antonelli has 219 points, compared to 169 for Lewis Hamilton and 160 for George Russell. The Briton has often been overshadowed by his young teammate during this first half of the season.
Guest on the podcast The Red Flags, Steiner believes Russell is already starting to look at opportunities that might be available to him: “Many drivers are interested in Audi for 2028. For next year, their line-up already seems quite clear, but there could be an opportunity starting in 2028.”
Audi, a project where Russell could become the leader
The Italian considers Audi to have become a particularly attractive destination: “It’s a very interesting project because they are making good progress. Everything seems to be going in the right direction. I think there will be many candidates. Carlos Sainz, of course.”
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Steiner is also convinced that Russell is already thinking about his future: “I think George is also looking elsewhere now that he is alongside Kimi. He probably doesn’t want to stay his whole career facing him, because he already knows where he stands. So he is looking for new opportunities.”
Steiner’s analysis is based on the rise of the Audi project. Since the full takeover of Sauber before the 2026 season, the German manufacturer has strengthened its structure under the leadership of Mattia Binotto and has been developing its own engine for several years, with financial support from the Volkswagen group.
Just a hypothesis…
According to Steiner, Audi could offer Russell what he might no longer find at Mercedes: the possibility of becoming the true leader of a factory project.
At Brackley, he now has to deal with Antonelli’s meteoric rise, while regularly seeing his name linked to rumors surrounding a possible recruitment of Max Verstappen. At Audi, on the other hand, he could become the cornerstone of a project built around him.
However, this is only a hypothesis put forward by Steiner. There is currently no indication that George Russell is seriously considering leaving Mercedes, and no discussions with Audi have been confirmed. The statements of the former Haas boss simply fuel speculation around a driver market that could heat up approaching the 2028 season.
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