Steiner clear: "Mercedes knows exactly what to do with Russell"

The rumour mill is swirling around Mercedes and the dilemma facing the team: will they choose George Russell or Valtteri Bottas? Haas team boss Guenther Steiner thinks it is as clear as day what Mercedes has to do.

"It's true that he will be on the market, but limited to the Mercedes teams," Steiner began in conversation with Germany's RTL. "Russell is doing a great job, he is pushing the limits of the Williams. A year ago it was already impressive, this year even more so. I hope Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin can follow in his footsteps in terms of growth."

According to the Haas team boss, the young Briton therefore deserves a car that will enable him to win championships. "I believe he is a driver who can win a world title if given the chance. In any case, his talent can only really be assessed if he has a competitive car," he continued.

"His CV is clear: if he had the material to win in lower racing classes, he always did," said Steiner. It remains to be seen what Mercedes will do, but the latest reports suggest that the choice would have been Russell, partly because otherwise the team may no longer have a claim on the driver.