Karun Chandhok pinpoints the moment ‘fiery’ George Russell changed at Mercedes after signing new deal

Follow us on Google Discover

George Russell has been driving with the added confidence of having a multi-year deal at Mercedes under his belt in recent weeks, and Karun Chandhok has highlighted a change in demeanour from the British driver since the new deal was announced.

After a months-long saga over the terms of a new contract, Russell was handed a multi-year deal at Mercedes ahead of the previous round of racing in Austin that will see him lead the Silver Arrows for their upcoming seasons in Formula 1.

The deal came after the British driver’s impressive performances that have been on display throughout the current campaign, as well as the rumours of a potential partnership between the Brackley-based team and Max Verstappen.

Mercedes chief Toto Wolff admitted to the detrimental effect that the Verstappen rumours had on Russell during his fourth season at the German constructor, which has seemingly translated to his on-track demeanour with team orders.

READ MORE: Toto Wolff just made a ‘crazy’ assessment about George Russell as Mercedes build F1 momentum

Karun Chandhok believes George Russell has changed since being handed a new deal at Mercedes

On lap 38 of the Mexico City Grand Prix, Russell found himself sandwiched between the charging Oscar Piastri and Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli during a critical period of his second stint.

Frustrated by his inability to overtake his teammate in identical machinery and the prospect of losing out to the determined championship-leader behind him, Russell requested that the Mercedes pit wall make a call and swap the order of their cars.

After a period of hesitation from the Brackley-based engineers, Russell fired off a heated radio message to his team, sarcastically shouting, “I’ve got a f—— McLaren up my a—, do you want me to let him pass?”

Speaking on Sky Sports F1’s coverage of the race, former F1 driver Karun Chandhok highlighted that the audible frustration from Russell was unlike his previous way of working, saying (21:02 26/10), “This is a fiery George Russell we’re seeing in that Mercedes now, isn’t it?

“This is no longer the domestic George Russell who blindly does everything that the team says. He’s the team leader there, but also, I think he’s been slightly burned by this whole contract process.”

Commentator David Croft added, “The trouble here is, Mercedes allows their drivers the freedom to race each other.

“You’re right, George Russell is now like, ‘Look, I’m the team leader here. I’m the contender in the championship still, albeit mathematically and not realistically. I’ve got the championship leader right behind me and I can make up a few more points, but also, I can preserve my standing.'”

READ MORE: Max Verstappen showed what he really thinks of George Russell in ‘off-camera’ moment at US Grand Prix

George Russell was burned by Mercedes’ links with F1 rival Max Verstappen

Russell emerged as the lead driver for the German constructor following Lewis Hamilton’s exit from the team ahead of the current campaign, and had already shown signs that he was the quicker driver at the team through the head-to-head battles in previous seasons.

Winning teammate battles against the seven-time world champion in 2022 and 2024, it can come as no surprise that the 27-year-old was hurt by Wolff’s desire to secure the talents of one of Russell’s fiercest competitors on the grid in Verstappen.

Russell has stated that Verstappen would be expected to beat him at Mercedes, which would have created a lose-lose situation for the Dutchman due to the current Silver Arrows driver’s confidence in himself.

After a public feud that heated up at the 2024 season-closer, things were reignited at the Spanish Grand Prix in June, where Verstappen appeared to have purposely crashed into the side of Russell after being ordered to give up the position to him.

The four-time world champion was slapped with a 10-second penalty and three penalty points, which took him to being just one shy of a race ban in the future.

Despite the consequences, Verstappen has stated that he doesn’t regret causing the unnecessary incident.