George Russell says the chance of him not racing for Mercedes in 2026 is “exceptionally low,” amid reports in Italy that Max Verstappen is open to a move from Red Bull.
Verstappen has been linked with Mercedes on a number of occasions in the past and at last weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix, Russell stated discussions are taking place between the two parties. This week, Sky Italy reported concrete talks had taken place as Verstappen was keen on the switch in 2026, but Russell says he has not spoken to other teams as he’s confident he’s staying where he is.
“There’s a lot of conversations behind the scenes that are not public, and I know where their loyalty lies,” Russell said. “And it doesn’t need to be public. It doesn’t need to be broadcasted to everybody.
“We’ve obviously spoken a little bit more over the last week because there’s numerous news articles and whatnot out there. But in all honesty, it doesn’t really change anything my side because, as I’ve said before, I feel I’m performing better than ever, and it’s as simple as that really. Performance speaks for everything.
“I’m pretty confident [of having a good seat somewhere], to be honest. Because I think what I’ve proven so far has been plenty enough. And … any teams who did reach out in the past, I said, ‘Look, I am loyal to Mercedes, that’s where my future lies.’ And ultimately, Mercedes are my manager, so it has to be dealt through Mercedes in the first place.
“There hasn’t been a lack of interest, let’s say. But I’ve been focused on my side; I am loyal to Mercedes. So at the end of the day, everything will work itself out and the likelihood I’m not at Mercedes next year, I think, is exceptionally low.”
Russell says he can’t set any deadlines about when he wants confirmation of his future to be finalized, although he would like to know by the August mid-season break.
“Obviously, naturally, you try and have stuff done before the summer break,” he said. “From my side, Mercedes manage me as well. So it’s not really a deadline in my hands as such.
“I’m not even thinking about it right now. Obviously, there’s a lot of questions about it. But the more we speak – or the less we speak – about it, nothing really changes. It’ll happen when the time is right. I expect probably in the next couple of weeks, probably something to happen. But we’ll need to wait and see.”
