Ralf Schumacher claims George Russell will play supporting role at Mercedes
Ralf Schumacher suggests George Russell will occupy a secondary role similar to Rubens Barrichello after Kimi Antonelli took the lead in the standings. While Helmut Marko claims Antonelli is now the number one driver, Toto Wolff defends Russell's importance to the Mercedes team.
Ralf Schumacher believes George Russell will occupy the same role at Mercedes that Rubens Barrichello held for Michael Schumacher at Ferrari. The six-time grand prix winner stated on the Sky Germany Backstage Boxengasse podcast that "the die is cast" regarding the balance of power at the team. He added that the only way this situation changes involves Kimi Antonelli failing to get to grips with the new car package.
Schumacher criticizes Russell’s performance
Schumacher advised Russell to "look at yourself in the mirror" to evaluate if his 2026 misfortunes could have been avoided. The Briton entered the season as a title favourite but currently sits third in the standings, trailing Max Verstappen by 17 points with three rounds remaining. Russell faced a qualifying setback in China, DNFs in Canada and Malaysia, and repeated power unit complaints. During the recent Brazilian Grand Prix, an order to abort his lap in Q3 before rain intensified caused a spiky radio message. Data analysis from Uros Radovanovic showed Russell lost significant time on race day after spinning at the pit exit while switching to dry tyres.
"It’s embarrassing," Schumacher said of those incidents, adding that Russell is "simply being badly advised." He claimed the frustration runs deep and is visible in how the driver behaves. While Russell finished fourth in Brazil, ahead of his teammate, Helmut Marko suggested Russell is no longer the number one driver because Antonelli has taken that spot.
| Driver | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | 390 |
| Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing | 279 |
| George Russell | Mercedes | 262 |
| Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | 261 |
Wolff defends his driver
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff disagrees with the pessimistic outlook. He told staff that without a driver of Russell’s calibre, the team could not have taken the calculated risk of promoting a rookie like Antonelli. Wolff noted that Russell was dominating the wet qualifying in Brazil before the final lap took away his pole position. Deputy team principal Bradley Lord reminded Russell in the engineering office that the constructors’ championship remains his first title. Technical director James Allison described Russell as one of the most honest drivers he works with, noting that Russell sees where Antonelli has been quicker this year.
