Ralf Schumacher warns Toto Wolff: “Mercedes could lose Russell if they chase Verstappen”. Ralf Schumacher warns Toto Wolff that Mercedes could risk losing George Russell for 2026.

The hunger for victory
Mercedes celebrated George Russell’s win in the Canadian Grand Prix, marking the Brackley team’s first victory of the season. A triumph that came after pole position for the British driver, who earned high praise from Ralf Schumacher, brother of seven-time world champion Michael and now a TV pundit for Sky Deutschland. Commenting on last weekend’s race, the German focused primarily on how Russell managed the restart behind the safety car with Verstappen right behind him, slowing in front of the Dutchman who failed to execute an overtake but received no penalty: “He showed Max that ‘I can do it too,’ even if I don’t think it was very smart,” he commented. “I even think Verstappen would have done it more elegantly, but he showed: ‘Watch out, Max. I’m also someone who wants to win by giving everything.’”

The future at Mercedes
Regarding the George Russell-Max Verstappen dynamic, the former German driver then shifted focus to the future developments at Mercedes, warning team principal Toto Wolff. In addition to praising Russell for a strong season so far, Schumacher believes the Austrian team boss is still leaving the door open to Max Verstappen joining Mercedes, something that could pose the risk of losing George Russell for 2026: “I think Toto will need to pull the plug at some point, or others will come and take Russell,” he added. “Dynamics in Formula 1 move very quickly. I heard that already last year there were other top teams trying to get these drivers. Unfortunately, it has become a bit of a trend to buy out contracts, and that’s why I think Russell is now one of the most sought-after candidates for anyone still looking for a good driver.”

The risk of losing Russell (despite being seen as the lead driver both by Schumacher and Wolff) could materialize, also because the Briton’s current contract with the team expires at the end of this season. An interesting opinion also came from another former driver, Christijan Albers, who believes that if Russell were at McLaren, he would currently be leading the championship: “Like it or not, he’s very consistent, he’s always there,” he said to De Telegraaf. “He would be better than Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, and also better than Charles Leclerc. Slightly below Max, but better than Piastri and Norris.”