George Russell on Max Verstappen to Mercedes Rumors: “No Hard Feelings”

George Russell stated he harbors “no hard feelings” regarding the rumors connecting Max Verstappen to Mercedes and is “in no rush” to finalize his own contract extension with the team.

Neither Russell nor his teammate Kimi Antonelli have been officially confirmed for Mercedes seats beyond 2025. Earlier this year, speculation arose that Verstappen might make a surprising move to Mercedes following Red Bull`s somewhat challenging start to the season.

Since then, Red Bull has improved, closing the gap to McLaren, and Verstappen secured victories in Suzuka and Imola. He remains a front-runner in the Drivers` Championship.

Last year, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff publicly expressed interest in signing Verstappen. However, three months ago in March, Wolff indicated that a shock transfer for the reigning world champion was “not on the radar.”

Reports suggest Verstappen has a contractual clause allowing him to leave Red Bull after this season if he is not among the top four in the Drivers` Championship standings by the start of the F1 summer break, which follows the Hungarian Grand Prix on August 3rd.

Currently, Verstappen holds a significant points advantage over the fifth-placed driver, with Russell positioned fourth in the standings.

“There haven`t been any hard feelings with any of the talks that have been going around, especially around Max,” Russell commented after his victory at the Canadian Grand Prix.

“Like I said numerous times, why wouldn`t teams be interested in Max? If every driver had no contracts for next year, Max would be No 1 for every single team. And that`s understandable,” he added.

“But ultimately, there are two seats for every race team. I knew if I continue to perform as I`m doing, my position would not be under threat whatsoever. So, I feel in a good place.”

Russell: I`m Not Talking to Any Other F1 Teams

Recent reports suggested Aston Martin might be interested in signing Russell to lead their team from 2026. However, speaking before those reports surfaced, Russell affirmed his commitment to Mercedes.

“I`m not talking with anybody else and any teams who have shown interest,” he stated.

“I have been quite open to say my intentions are to stay with Mercedes. That`s always been clear. And I am loyal to Mercedes. They gave me this chance to get into Formula 1.”

Russell further explained his relaxed stance on contract talks: “We`re in no rush to do contract negotiations. We want to win together, especially Kimi and I being team-mates now.

“We`re getting a result like Canada, both junior drivers from Mercedes. We`re both doing the job in terms of performance. Why would you want to change something that`s working?”

Wolff: Russell Contract `All on Plan`

Russell joined Mercedes from Williams in 2022 and has established himself as a leading driver, particularly since Lewis Hamilton`s departure at the end of 2024.

The 27-year-old narrowly outscored Hamilton over their three seasons together and clearly had the performance edge in their final shared year. He has maintained his strong form this year with four podium finishes, including Mercedes` first win of 2024 at the Canadian Grand Prix.

“He`s been so long with us,” said Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff.

“He`s growing and the steps he`s made from that young driver in Williams, then coming to Mercedes at a difficult time, being on par with Lewis, and since Lewis left, being clearly the senior driver in the team, and it comes natural.”

“It`s not like there`s some politics. He`s just taken the place that he merits and deserves. The ambience in the team is great, and we`ve agreed on some kind of timeline when we want to settle these things.”

“With triple-headers getting out of the way, then one race after the other in June and July, but we`re going to get there.”

“He`s been a Mercedes junior since 2016. It isn`t dependent on whether he wins a race or performs because we know he can.”

When asked about a new contract for Russell, Wolff confirmed: “All on plan.”

Brundle on Russell`s `Perfect` Canada Performance and His Future

Motorsport analyst Martin Brundle offered his perspective:

“Canada was the perfect performance from George. Pole position, fastest lap, race win – pretty untroubled.”

“When George gets up front like that, you don`t wonder how he`s going to cope with the pressure. You don`t even think about it.”

“You know he`s not going to snatch his brakes or make a silly mistake. He`s on it and he`s got the speed, the consistency, the self-confidence, and it came through again in Canada.”

“We saw last year he pretty much got the upper hand on Lewis. He`s flourished as team leader. He`s out of the shadow of Lewis, who he still refers to as `the GOAT`, which I respect, and says, `I learned from Lewis`.”

Regarding the delay in agreeing to a new contract for Russell, Brundle commented:

“Former McLaren boss Ron Dennis used to say, `what`s the point in making a decision early if you`ve got the upper hand on a contractual position?` It`s a bit like landing with a lot of runway behind you. It`s no good to you.”

“I suspect they think it`s pushing George on. Maybe they think, `George is going well in this environment, let`s not waste the runway`.”

F1 Driver Contract Status