Former F1 team boss Günther Steiner says Lewis Hamilton is no longer silent at Mercedes because he already has a secure seat at Ferrari. Steiner pointed out that the opposite was true for George Russell, warning the Briton that his future with the Silver Arrows was not secure.

Hamilton, who announced in February his move to rival Ferrari at the end of the year, is increasingly expressing his frustration with the Mercedes W15 throughout the season. At the recent Brazilian Grand Prix, the seven-time world champion said his current car was the “worst” he had driven, before calling it a “plank of wood” in front of the media.

The 39-year-old racing legend recovered from his Q1 elimination to score just one point on race day, but still called it a “disaster of a weekend” on radio the team after the race. He then called the car “unacceptable.”

Hamilton said: “It’s devastating to have these bad races in the second half of the season. But all I can say is that we are trying to get to the weekend, but this is not the case. “It’s definitely not acceptable, it’s definitely not good enough.” »

Former Haas team principal Steiner believes Hamilton speaks much more clearly as there is no risk regarding his position at Mercedesafter securing a seat with Ferrari. The Italian says Russell, meanwhile, is still keen to prove he deserves to be Mercedes» Driver n°1 in the long term, with his seat confirmed for 2025 but his contract at the end of the year.

Steiner told the Red Flag podcast: “The car is what it is. It’s not the best car, it’s the fourth best car around on a good day. I think Lewis knowing he’s leaving anyway makes it easier to complain.

“George has every interest in doing everything there is to show that he is the leader of the team for the future. He has to prove it, because he knows it because he knows it when his Mercedes The contract is over, his seat isn’t 100% safe, so he’s just trying to do his best, he’s putting everything into it.

“And on the other hand, Lewis doesn’t like the car and the way it drives, he knows that now, after three races, he’s not here anymore.

Steiner’s comments follow Nico Rosberg, former world champion with Mercedessaid in September that Russell’s seat was “not at all safe.” Rookie Kimi Antonelli will partner Russell starting next year, but rumors of Mercedes chief Toto Wolffinterest in Red Bull star and current leader of the championship Max Verstappen gave way to concerns about Russell’s future.

Russell has one official race victory under his belt this season, as well as two poles and two fastest laps, leaving him sixth in the drivers’ standings. The 26-year-old Briton says he doesn’t pay much attention to rumors and revealed he has at least some form of agreement with his employers.

“It’s something we haven’t talked about at all, to be honest,” Russell told reporters earlier this year. “I’ve been on this team for so long, I’m led by Mercedesand we always said that we would continue together for an indefinite period. There are a lot of conversations going on that are quite fun to read, but for my part, I’m not focusing on all of that. I’m just focused on my driving. »