A future which could also pass through George Russell according to the boss. "We are not afraid to come out of the woodwork, Horner said again. George Russell is out of contract at the end of next year and it would be stupid not to take that into account." Is he really thinking of recruiting him? Is it just a way to get back at him? Toto wolff who keeps repeating that he will try his luck with Max Verstappen for 2026? The fact remains that if the Austrian manager succeeds, the Russell option would not be far from being the best among the drivers able to replace him in the seat Red Bull.
Throughout the Singapore weekend, the short and medium term future of Daniel Ricciardo at Racing Bulls has been the talk of the Marina Bay paddock. An uncertainty that, according to Red Bull Racing boss Christian Horner, goes far beyond the simple case of the Australian.
Speaking at the microphone of Sky Sports F1, the British manager explained that "Daniel had a reasonable season, but not an exceptional one." "The question is how much better Liam (Lawson, Racing Bulls reserve) andis good and sometimes you have to make difficult decisions to get those answers.he said. We will look at all the options available to us over the next three weeks of the break because we have to look far into the future."
"We have Liam Lawson on the bench. Is he at the level of the guys who are emerging like Franco Colapinto? (see opposite), Oliver Bearman and Kimi Antonelli? We also have Isack Hadjar in Formula 2 who until recently was leading the championship. We have a young talent that I am particularly excited about in Formula 3, Arvid Lindblad. We have depth in our junior program, and that's why we want to take the time to look at the options that are available to us.", he detailed while reviewing his Junior Team.
Wolff answers: "Russell is a Mercedes driver, I hope he always will be"
Obviously, Christian Horner's views on George Russell did not really please Toto Wolff, who recalls that his protégé, a pure product of the academy Mercedes, represents the present and the future of the brand with the Star in F1, and that he will not let him escape like this. "[Christian Horner] is still stirring up shit on his end, the Austrian responded to his British counterpart's comments. George is a Mercedes driver, he always has been and I hope he always will be. He has a long contract with the team." Let us recall, as we mentioned above, Toto Wolff himself said a few months ago that he “would go above and beyond” to attach… Max Verstappen, Red Bull driver.
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Yves-Henri RANDIER
24/09/2024 at 05:17 a.m.
A good exchange of favors between the two greatest friends in the world in the paddock! If Toto does indeed do everything he can to get the Dutchman back (assuming that he decides to continue in F2 despite the censorship imposed on drivers by this great democrat in front of the eternal that is MBS), I doubt that he will fight to keep Russell because he will never sacrifice his nugget Antonelli. So Russell has every interest in planning his back (personal opinion)!
Bernard JOUVENE
24/09/2024 at 03:39 a.m.
The hospital that mocks charity!!