Rosberg addresses why Russell has to look over his back at Mercedes
F1 News
- Jeroen Immink
Despite having a contract until the end of the 2025 and Toto Wolff talking positively about him, according to Nico Rosberg, George Russell still has to watch out and peform to keep his seat at Mercedes. The former Formula One world champion claims that team principal Wolff will still do everything possible to bring in Max Verstappen.
Rosberg: 'Shoutout between Russell and Antonelli'
"George is not safe at all because Toto still wants Max," Rosberg began to Sky Sports. "He will try again for 2026 because 'give up' does not appear in Toto's vocabulary. If Max does become available - and I do think it's a possibility - then it is a shootout between George and Kimi next year," the German continued to explain.
According to Rosberg, the two-time Grand Prix winner will be under enormous pressure and will have to continue to peform well. "It's a lot of pressure on George as he has everything to lose. He should be the one ahead at the team internally, because Kimi is 18 and he's completely new and in a full-pressure situation, so it's not an easy situation," Rosberg concluded.
Rosberg himself has experience with Toto Wolff and Mercedes, as he drove for the German team from 2010 until 2016, after which season he retired as a world champion.
This article was written in collaboration with Kada Sarkozi
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