With Red Bull showing signs of faltering, both on and off the track, Max Verstappen’s future has become a topic of interest. Even though he is contracted to Red Bull till 2028, there are reports that he may look to leave the team, and Mercedes has been most heavily linked to the Dutchman. Keeping this in mind, current Mercedes driver George Russell shared his thoughts on a potential link-up with the three-time World Champion.
For starters, Russell isn’t bothered about teaming up with a driver as talented as Verstappen. “I had the biggest challenge of joining Mercedes against the greatest driver of all time statistically. And I performed against him,” said Russell as quoted by The Daily Mail.
Russell was referring to seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton. Since joining Mercedes in 2022, Russell has done a commendable job in partnering up with the Briton. In his first year, he even outperformed Hamilton, which turned quite a few heads in the paddock. So, Russell is up for doing the same with Verstappen as his teammate.
On the other hand, he talks about his and Verstappen’s future, asking the latter to take time and evaluate his options just like he plans on doing in the coming months. “Max can take a year off for 2026 to see which the best team is. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if he did that.”, he said.
He feels so because, in 2026, new engine regulations are set to shake the grid up. It could change the pecking order, and Verstappen wouldn’t want to end up on the wrong end of the grid.
Russell adds that he is committed to Mercedes at the moment. But his ambitions can compel him to look elsewhere in the future.
George Russell on Mercedes’ struggles
Russell has had a reputation of being a top driver since his Williams days (2019-2021). He joined Mercedes with a clear goal in mind – to reach the summit of F1. Unfortunately for him, that hasn’t been possible to date owing to the Brackley-based outfit’s struggles.
“I am a loyal guy and Mercedes has given me the opportunities,” says Russell. “But I want to be a World Champion. That’s not us at the moment.”
On the other hand, the 26-year-old reaffirms his faith in the team. He understands that the employees at Mercedes are working hard to make them a championship-winning stable once again. Russell also cited McLaren as an example.
The Woking-based outfit was out of contention for points at one stage in 2023, but now, they are close to being the top team of F1. Russell hopes for a similar trajectory for Mercedes and hopes that the changes come in quickly.
