George Russell sent Mercedes sack warning as Lewis Hamilton makes brutal admission

Former F1 team boss Guenther Steiner has issued a stark warning to George Russell, suggesting his seat at Mercedes is far from secure.

Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton enjoys the freedom to critique the team, bolstered by his upcoming move to Ferrari. In February, Hamilton confirmed he will switch to Ferrari after this year's season.

The seven-time world champion has been increasingly critical of his current Mercedes W15 car throughout the 2024 season. His frustrations were evident during the Brazilian Grand Prix, where he labelled the car as the "worst" he's driven and likened it to a "plank of wood".

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Despite being knocked out in Q1, Hamilton managed to claw back a point on race day, yet still branded the weekend a "disaster" and slammed the car as "unacceptable". Hamilton vented: "It is devastating to have these bad races in the second half of the season. But all I can say is that we're trying coming into the weekends, but it is definitely not acceptable, it is definitely not good enough."

Steiner, who previously led the Haas team, believes Hamilton's candour stems from the security of his future with Ferrari, which allows him to speak out without jeopardising his position at Mercedes. However, he points out that Russell doesn't share this privilege, as he must continually demonstrate his capability to lead Mercedes in the future.

Russell is set to continue racing for Mercedes in the next season, having joined them in 2022, though his contract is due to expire at the end of 2025. Steiner remarked on the Red Flag