George Russell’s ‘rubbish’ comments as a youngster make a move to Aston Martin alongside Lance Stroll ‘impossible’

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George Russell has been linked to Aston Martin in the event that he loses his Mercedes Formula 1 seat. It’s arguably the best alternative for the English driver.

Halfway through the 2025 season, Russell still hasn’t signed a new contract, with his current deal due to expire at the end of the year. Mercedes are known to be interested in reigning world champion Max Verstappen.

It appears to be Russell, rather than rookie teammate Kimi Antonelli, in the firing line if the Dutchman agrees to join. While he’ll still be confident of an extension, he’ll naturally be making contingency plans too.

Russell to Aston Martin has been floated as a possibility, even though Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll have deals covering 2026. The Silverstone outfit may be eighth in the constructors’ right now, but they have justifiably lofty ambitions for the new regulations after signing Adrian Newey.

George Russell’s historic ‘rift’ with the Stroll family blocks Aston Martin move

In a Q&A on the Motorsport Italy YouTube channel, journalist Franco Nugnes was asked about the possibility of Russell joining Aston Martin. He dismissed it emphatically.

There was a ‘very strong’ dispute between Russell and the Stroll family back in 2016, when they were both competing in the European F3 championship. While that has cooled, it’s still ‘impossible’ to imagine a partnership between the two.

Lawrence Stroll’s position as team owner will likely protect his son. Fernando Alonso is about to turn 44, but his seat should be safe.

While Red Bull are the obvious destination, Alpine may also have an interest in Russell. Pierre Gasly’s teammate for 2026 is still to be confirmed.

“It’s mathematically impossible for Russell to go to Aston Martin because going back a long way, the parties had very strong rifts,” said Nugnes. “It’s an impossible operation, so let’s put a cross on Russell joining up with the Stroll family.”

What exactly did George Russell say about Lance Stroll as a youngster?

Aston Martin staff are reluctant to criticise Stroll given the family dynamics at play. But Russell did not hesitate to suggest his father’s wealth was giving him an unfair advantage.

After one Euro F3 race in France, he alleged that Stroll’s Hitech teammate had been forced to let him through and give up a win. The driver in question, Nick Cassidy, claimed he’d made a mistake, but Russell called it ‘complete and utter rubbish’.

Stroll won the championship by nearly 200 points that year, while Russell finished third. The former became the second-youngest F1 driver ever in 2017 when he joined Williams.

Russell would make his debut with the same team two years later thanks to the backing of Mercedes. He’s gone on to rack up 20 podiums to Stroll’s three, including four race wins.