Jun.6 (GMM) George Russell could have a couple of top options if he is dropped by Mercedes.
Although Toto Wolff is happy with the on-form 27-year-old, who is the highest ranked F1 driver this year behind the McLaren duo and Max Verstappen, there is no doubt the Mercedes boss is leaving a door open for Verstappen.
Former Formula 1 star Ralf Schumacher thinks the chance Verstappen could flee Red Bull ahead of the radical new regulations for 2026 is quite high.
Schumacher was the one who floated the theory that Verstappen’s antics in Barcelona could have been his attempt to deliberately trigger a contract exit clause.
However, the German admits: “If Max wants to leave, you couldn’t stop him.
“Red Bull is struggling at the moment and will continue to struggle for the foreseeable future,” he told Sky Deutschland. “The multiple updates didn’t work out so far, so why would you assume that Pierre Wache will suddenly build a miracle car for the new regulations when he doesn’t even understand the old one properly?”
An arguably even bigger concern is the Red Bull-Ford power unit for 2026.
Red Bull’s Dr Helmut Marko insists: “We’re on track with our engines for 2026, but obviously we don’t know exactly what the competition is doing.
“There’s already talk about who has the edge, but that’s only really clear once you take them out to the track.”
The rumours suggest Mercedes will come out of the box with a significant engine advantage. “Max obviously wants a car that works,” says Schumacher. “This isn’t guaranteed at Red Bull at the moment.
“Max has time before he has to decide. He can wait until or even after the summer break.”
Schumacher thinks it’s obvious that Wolff is still wooing Verstappen – especially given his “diplomatic” comments regarding the Verstappen-Russell clash in Barcelona.
“I thought Toto Wolff’s reaction was very nice,” Schumacher smiled. “It was so diplomatic.
“Normally you expect a team boss to protect his own driver, but Toto more or less said ‘let’s look calmly at what Max actually did’. I found that very striking.
“You almost get the idea that he and Max are already sitting around the table eating and chatting about next year,” Schumacher added.
Wolff parting with his teenage protege Kimi Antonelli would seem extremely unlikely, as is the prospect of a Verstappen-Russell pairing.
It is believed informal talks between Russell’s management and Red Bull have already taken place, while The Times is now reporting that Aston Martin could be another option for the on-form British driver.
