George Russell understands the ongoing rumors of a potential move by Max Verstappen to Mercedes quite well. The British driver acknowledges that his team would naturally want to place the four-time world champion in their cockpit, as Verstappen is currently ‘the best driver’. Russell is also not worried about his own future with the German racing team.
With the ongoing issues with Max Verstappen’s RB21, and no immediate solution in sight due to the wind tunnel correlation problems, rumors of a potential move by the Dutchman have been reignited. Verstappen is linked to Mercedes, after Toto Wolff has repeatedly initiated charm offensives towards the four-time world champion.
Current Mercedes driver George Russell understands why his team would want to bring in the Dutchman. “Why wouldn’t they want to sign Max? That’s very understandable,” the Brit tells PA Media. “He is currently the best driver. He is a four-time world champion. That’s not against myself or Kimi (Antonelli). There are two drivers for each team and (Verstappen) is just one person.”
Is Russell not at all worried that he will be replaced by the Red Bull driver once his contract expires at the end of 2025? “I’m not worried, because my performance speaks for itself. I’m currently performing as well as anyone on the grid.” According to the Mercedes driver, it’s even normal for drivers not to hold contract negotiations until May or June. “I would say it’s actually abnormal how many drivers have a long-term contract. But everyone has performance clauses. There’s no time to mess around. You can only focus on driving fast.”
Aston Martin
In addition to Mercedes, Lando Norris is also being linked with the Aston Martin team. The Italian La Gazzetta dello Sport even reports that the British racing team is offering the Red Bull driver a three-year contract worth 264 million euros. It is rumored that the contract will then be financed by the Saudi Arabian state investment fund.
