George Russell said it is “very unlikely” he hasn’t raced for Mercedes in 2026. In an Italian report, Max Verstappen is open to travel from Red Bull.
Verstappen has linked to Mercedes many times in the past, and at Austrian Grand Prix last weekend, Russell said there was a debate between the two parties. This week, Sky Italy reported that concrete consultations took place on the 2026 Switch due to Verstappen’s passionateness, but Russell says he hasn’t spoken to other teams because he is confident he is staying.
“There are a lot of conversations that aren’t publicly available behind the scenes and we know where their loyalty lies,” Russell said. “And you don’t have to publish it, you don’t have to broadcast it to everyone.
“We obviously talked a little more last week because there are a lot of news stories and more. But honestly, like I said before, I feel like I’m performing more than ever.
“To be honest, I’m pretty confident that I have a good seat somewhere (because I think there’s enough proven to date. And the team that reached out to the past said, ‘Look, I’m loyal to Mercedes and that’s the lie of my future.’ And in the end, Mercedes is my manager, so you have to deal with it through Mercedes in the first place.
“There was no lack of interest, but I’ve been focusing on my side. I’m loyal to Mercedes, so I think it’s very unlikely that at the end of the day everything will go well and we won’t be at Mercedes next year.”
Russell wants to know by the midseason break in August, but says he can’t set a deadline for when he wants to complete his future confirmation.
“Obviously, of course, try doing something before summer holidays,” he said. “From my side, Mercedes is taking care of me, so that’s not really the deadline for my hands.
“I’m not thinking about it now. Obviously there are a lot of questions about it. But the more we talk, or the less we talk about it, the more nothing really changes. It happens when the time comes. I’m hoping that something will happen in a few weeks, probably.
