George Russell’s F1 future ‘intentions’ revealed as £1.6bn-valued team target surprise 2026 move

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Mercedes driver George Russell is the man of the moment after winning the Canadian Grand Prix.

George Russell secured the fourth victory of his Formula 1 career and his first since winning in Las Vegas last year.

Mercedes secured their first double-podium of the year with rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli joining Russell and Red Bull driver Max Verstappen on the rostrum.

Verstappen reserved praise for Russell after the race, putting their rivalry aside to compliment his electric race start.

The 27-year-old was never under any serious pressure from the Dutchman and took the chequered flag behind the safety car after Lando Norris crashed into Oscar Piastri.

However, this has only drawn more attention to Russell’s Formula 1 future.

Russell’s Mercedes contract expires at the end of the season and this makes him arguably the most enticing free agent on the market.

One of Mercedes’ rivals on the grid is now targeting the 27-year-old for 2026 and Russell has addressed the rumours surrounding his future.

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George Russell ‘intention’ is to stay at Mercedes amid Aston Martin’s 2026 interest

A report from Motorsport immediately after the Canadian Grand Prix has highlighted Aston Martin’s growing interest in signing Russell.

Aston Martin have targeted Russell for several weeks despite Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll having contracts for next season.

It’s suggested that Russell is the £1.6bn-valued F1 team’s target to ‘lead’ Aston Martin into the next set of the sport’s regulations.

Russell has said that his ‘intentions’ are to stay at Mercedes next season despite interest from Aston Martin, but couldn’t confirm that he would be racing for the team in 2026.

He said after winning in Montreal: “No, I’m not talking with anybody else and any teams who have shown interest. I have been quite open to say my intentions are to stay with Mercedes. That’s always been clear.

“And, you know, I am loyal to Mercedes. They gave me this chance to get into Formula 1.

“There haven’t been any hard feelings with any of the talks that have been going around, you know, especially around Max because, like I said numerous times, why wouldn’t teams be interested in Max if everybody could, if every driver had a clean, no contracts for next year, Max would be the number one for every single team. And that’s understandable.

“But ultimately there are two seats for every race team and I knew if I continued to perform as I’m doing, my position would not be under threat whatsoever. So, I feel in a good place. We’re in no rush to do contract negotiations.”

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George Russell and Mercedes are waiting for a final Max Verstappen decision

Russell currently sits fourth in the drivers’ championship and while he’s too far behind Piastri to be considered a real threat to the McLaren driver, he’s proved how brilliant a driver he is this season with his performances.

The 27-year-old has five podiums to his name already this season and while neither McLaren driver is on the market ahead of next season, Verstappen might be.

Verstappen has a get-out clause in his Red Bull contract, although he’s never said anything publicly that would suggest he intends to activate it.

However, team principal Toto Wolff appears to be delaying finalising terms with Russell until he knows that the Dutchman is definitely unavailable.

Aston Martin are an interesting project ahead of next year with Adrian Newey working on their new car and Honda power units arriving imminently.

For Russell, it makes far more sense to try and stay with the Silver Arrows, especially as Mercedes are expected to have the best engines for next season’s regulations.