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George Russell appeared to be at risk of losing his Mercedes F1 seat to Max Verstappen. Russell’s deal was due to expire at the end of the season and he didn’t sign an extension until October.
Perhaps as a negotiating tactic, it was Russell himself who revealed that Mercedes were trying to sign Verstappen from Red Bull. Toto Wolff publicly acknowledged the pursuit.
In the end, Verstappen committed to the team where he has won four world championships, unable to activate an exit clause in his deal. Mercedes stuck with Russell and Antonelli for at least 2026.
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The Briton was one of F1’s standout drivers in 2025, winning two races and scoring nine podiums en route to fourth in the championship. However, reports suggest Russell genuinely feared for his seat if Mercedes signed Verstappen.
George Russell says pairing the ‘best’ drivers creates conflict
Russell scored more than double the points of rookie teammate Kimi Antonelli last year (319 vs 150), but Mercedes still believe the teenager can be a future superstar, so they didn’t want to give up on him.
More significantly, though, Russell’s prior conflict with Verstappen must have been a consideration for Toto Wolff. They were involved in a remarkable row at the end of the 2024 season, all stemming from an impending incident in Qatar.
In an interview with Auto Motor und Sport, Russell denied that he was ‘worried’ about his future. While his relationship with Verstappen appears to have somewhat soothed, he strongly hinted that ‘a confrontation is inevitable’ if Mercedes pair the two.
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The dynamic the team had with Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas between 2017 and 2021, just before Russell joined, was ‘perfect’. Hamilton was the de facto number one, supported by a dutiful but competitive number two in Bottas.
“I was never worried about losing my seat,” Russell said. “As a team, you want the best possible driver pairing available on the market. Verstappen is currently the best driver on the grid.
“No matter where you put the two best together, a confrontation is inevitable sooner or later. But a team like Mercedes had with Lewis and Valtteri, that’s perfect.”
George Russell thinks he’d be in a win-win situation against Max Verstappen
Verstappen will assess Red Bull’s competitiveness under the new regulations before making a decision on his future.
Though his deal runs until the end of 2028, Verstappen once again has an exit clause in play this year. It’s believed that he must be in the top two of the standings at a specific mid-season juncture – a tough bar for Red Bull to clear.
Russell says Verstappen would face a ‘lose-lose’ situation if they became teammates at Mercedes. He would be expected to beat the former Williams driver, which would bring pressure.
Antonelli has a ‘wonderful’ relationship with Verstappen, who has been something of a mentor figure. That may also factor into Toto Wolff’s thinking.
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