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Guenther Steiner has shared his concerns over George Russell’s title hopes in Formula 1, and has advised the Mercedes driver to ‘stop being Mr Nice Guy’.
Following his unfortunate retirement from the Canadian Grand Prix, George Russell now trails Mercedes counterpart Kimi Antonelli by 43 points in the F1 standings.
Should Toto Wolff stay off the radio when Kimi Antonelli and George Russell battle?
There is still a long way to go before the chequered flag falls on this campaign, but Russell needs to start mounting a comeback as soon as he possibly can.
In the eyes of former F1 team principal Guenther Steiner, he thinks that the Briton can start by dropping his ‘Mr Nice Guy’ act.
- READ MORE: George Russell looked like ‘a ghost’ in the F1 paddock after Canadian Grand Prix retirement
Guenther Steiner says George Russell will ‘have to’ start playing mind games with Kimi Antonelli
In a recent episode of the Red Flags podcast, Steiner was asked whether Russell would start some form of ‘psychological warfare’ with his younger teammate in order to shift the momentum back in his favour.
When a driver is battling someone in identical machinery in a title fight, mind games may be the only thing that they can utilise to gain an advantage. It has been prevalent in recent years, including the last time two Mercedes drivers butted heads for a world championship.
Are Kimi Antonelli’s F1 title chances higher or lower than 70%?
“At some stage, he will have to, because he wants to win a world championship,” Steiner replied. “If he doesn’t win this year or maybe next year, I think the train has gone. He wants to win one, and I think he’s got the talent to win it. But, maybe he needs to stop being Mr Nice Guy.”
The 28-year-old’s demeanour in the F1 paddock has sparked some discussion in the past. F1 pundit Ralf Schumacher has told Russell to drop his ‘English politeness’ in order to reassert himself as Mercedes’ lead driver amid Antonelli’s dominance.
Mercedes are no stranger to mind games between their drivers
Russell’s ensuing title fight with Antonelli marks the first intra-team championship battle between two Mercedes drivers since the events of the 2016 season, when Nico Rosberg finally managed to get the upper hand over Lewis Hamilton.
The Brackley-based outfit was soaked in toxicity at the time, with it being reported that Hamilton and Rosberg wouldn’t even say hello to each other when crossing paths at the facility.
The British driver got the better of his former nemesis for the majority of their time together at Mercedes, but Rosberg was no stranger to mind games as he pursued a world title.
Rosberg announced his retirement immediately after claiming the 2016 championship, with many theorising that the intense nature of his feud with the future seven-time title-winner was a leading factor in his decision.
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