George Russell Dismisses Mercedes Seat Threat From Verstappen
His comments signal confidence in Mercedes’ ability to handle star driver dynamics.
Overview
- Russell said he is not worried about losing his Mercedes drive to Max Verstappen, speaking to Auto Motor und Sport.
- He stated teams aim for the strongest possible pairing and described Verstappen as the best driver on the current grid.
- Russell warned that putting top drivers together makes confrontation inevitable and pointed to Mercedes’ Hamilton–Bottas era as a workable model.
- He acknowledged Mercedes had talks with Verstappen earlier, while Verstappen has since confirmed he will remain with Red Bull for 2026.
- Mercedes extended Russell’s contract in October and secured Kimi Antonelli, with any talk of Verstappen reconsidering beyond 2026 presented in reports as speculation.