George Russell has come out fighting amid reports that Max Verstappen is set to take his Mercedes seat in 2026.
Both the Brit and his team principal Toto Wolff have admitted that the German-British squad is in talks with the four-time champion amid Red Bull’s downturn in form.
Rumours of Verstappen replacing Russell have dominated the news, but the Brit has come out fightingAFPA report from Sky Italia took the headlines midweek as it claimed Verstappen had said yes to Wolff, with many assuming that means goodbye to Russell as he currently doesn’t have a contract for next year.
However, while speaking to the media, including talkSPORT.com, the 27-year-old alluded to his teammate being at risk for the first time.
Responding to the story, he said: “Every team has two seats available and it’s normal that every team is considering what the future holds and I don’t take that personally.
“I made it clear that I’m happy to be teammates with anybody. There’s a lot of rumours and all of them are being pointed towards me but from my side that isn’t really going to be the case.
“I want to continue with Mercedes into the future and the fact is that Toto has never let me down and has always given his word, but he’s also got to do what’s right for the team, which includes me.”
Russell’s teammate Kimi Antonelli also has an expiring contract, but the idea Verstappen could instead replace him wasn’t one that was broached as the teen has long been a Mercedes prodigy.
Yet if Verstappen does make the switch, Russell is now sounding very hopeful that it won’t be at his expense.
“I’m pretty confident to be honest because what I’ve proved so far has been plenty enough,” he added before the British Grand Prix.
“Any teams that did reach out in the past I told them I’m loyal to Mercedes and that’s where my future lies.
“There hasn’t been a lack of interest but I’ve been focused on being loyal to Mercedes.
Russell’s comments seemed to suggest that teammate Antonelli is the Mercedes driver at riskGetty“Everything will work itself out and the likelihood I’m not at the team next year is, I think, exceptionally low.”
Asked if he has been talking to other teams, Russell simply answered ‘no’ and again went on to suggest he could partner Verstappen, a driver he’s staged a remarkably spicy rivalry featuring numerous flash points throughout the years.
“It’s nothing to worry about for me because I don’t think I’ll be going anywhere and whoever my teammate will be it doesn’t concern me either,” he said.
“There are a lot of conversations behind the scenes that are not public.
“I know where their loyalty lies, it doesn’t need to be broadcast or public to everybody, we’ve obviously spoken a little bit more over the last week because there are numerous news articles out there but it doesn’t change anything from my side.
“I’m performing better than ever and performance speaks for everything.
Verstappen and Russell in the same team would create a rivalry for the ages given the hate between themGetty“I feel quite thick skinned and I don’t read much news or listen to rumours. I focus on the facts and on the driving.
“You can have a contract but if you don’t perform you’re out. If you do perform everything sorts itself out.”
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