Racing
© Jonathan Borba
George Russell said he is "very confident" he will remain with Mercedes beyond 2026 and said "with certainty" he will still be driving for the team in 2027, dismissing speculation that Max Verstappen could take his seat while also suggesting Formula 1 fans would understand if the Red Bull driver eventually chose to walk away.
Speaking ahead of a Mercedes press event, the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula 1 driver said his contract is multi-year and made clear he is not concerned by suggestions Verstappen could be poached. Russell has faced similar questions before amid Toto Wolff's long-standing interest in Verstappen, but this time he gave the firmest answer yet about his own future.
At the same time, Russell said he does not want Verstappen to disappear from the championship picture. "We want Max not to lose, because we all like… fighting against him," he said. He added that "Formula 1 is bigger than an individual driver" and that if "a driver leaves," that is "just part of it."
That balance was striking given the recent history between the pair. Their rivalry has repeatedly spilled beyond the track, from Verstappen calling Russell "Arschloch" after their collision in Baku in 2023 to the fallout from Qatar in 2024, when Verstappen reportedly threatened in the stewards' room to crash into him deliberately. Before the 2024 season finale, Russell said Verstappen lashed out with "unnecessary anger and almost violence" when things did not go his way.
Russell now sees Verstappen's frustration as closely tied to Red Bull's position in the competitive order. He said Verstappen "didn't have the same complaints back then… because he won," arguing that drivers' grievances tend to shift when the results do. Russell contrasted that with his own experience at the start of the current rules cycle, saying he "hated" the 2022 cars because the porpoising "made everyone's backs hurt." The stiff, heavy cars used from 2022 to 2025 were unpopular across the grid, but Russell suggested Verstappen's focus has moved to different issues now that Mercedes, Ferrari and McLaren are at the front.
He also linked Verstappen's long-term future to the Dutchman's growing interest outside grand prix racing, especially GT3 running at the Nürburgring Nordschleife. "I can understand why he enjoys it. I would also like to have the chance to race there. I've already driven hundreds of laps in the simulator," Russell said. "If I had four titles, I'd probably do the same thing. But my current goal is to become a Formula 1 world champion."
Russell said Verstappen may simply have reached a different stage in his career. In his view, Verstappen is "at a point where you can no longer achieve anything in Formula 1" and has "everything ticked off." While records still remain, Russell said that "at some point you only want to do what makes you happy," adding: "I believe people would understand if he stays, and they would understand if he goes."
In a separate interview with the BBC, Russell softened the tone of the rivalry further by saying he hopes Verstappen joins the 2026 title fight. He said the relationship between them is going well, that they have "a bit of respect for each other," and that he has a lot of respect for what Verstappen shows on track and what he is doing now. Russell also said that if he were already a four-time world champion, he would probably be doing the same as Verstappen with his GT outings, but added that he would never forgive himself for being distracted by other things in the middle of his own title fight.