Guenther Steiner has argued that Alpine could decide to snap up George Russell if the Briton is unable to reach an agreement with Mercedes for a contract extension.

Russell’s current contract with the Brackley outfit expires at the end of the year, and while both he and team chief Toto Wolff have insisted they have no doubt an agreement will be reached, he has yet to put pen to paper.

"Well, we are like super near. Something like that," Wolff explained to Sky Sports F1 when asked for an update on the contract in Singapore.

While discussing Russell's contract during The Red Flags Podcast , Steiner was asked if he thought the British driver could threaten to take a year out of the championship to gain more leverage in the negotiations with the Brackley outfit. The Italian cl

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