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With Mercedes not contending for wins, David Coulthard says George Russell and Lewis Hamilton must now speak up and take them back there.

The Silver Arrows have dominated the V6 turbo-hybrid era so far, winning all eight Constructors’ Championships on offer, but in 2022 that streak is very much under threat.

Red Bull have retained their spot as a leading force at the start of this new regulatory era in Formula 1, but Mercedes and Ferrari have effectively traded places.

Now it is Ferrari scrapping with Red Bull for wins in the early stages, while Mercedes are at the head of the midfield but comfortably down on the leading pace.

Considering Mercedes’ unrivalled success since 2014, Russell naturally would have been expecting to have moved from Williams into a title-contending car, while for Hamilton, being in a position for another shot at that record eighth Drivers’ title would have been the expectation.

With neither driver currently in a position to achieve their aims, Coulthard says this is where Russell, alongside Hamilton, must be the “voice” that takes Mercedes back to the top.

“He (Russell) was brilliant with Williams. It led to him being courted by Mercedes, as everyone knows,” Coulthard told the Sunday Mirror.

“But the honeymoon period when you can do no wrong changes quickly, particularly when there’s an expectation that, given the car you are driving, you