Apr.19 (GMM) George Russell says it would be “completely understandable” if Mercedes made a bid to sign Max Verstappen for 2026.
Rumours about Verstappen’s future are swirling more intensely than ever in the Jeddah paddock, amid suggestions Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund is behind a three-year, $300 million offer to sign the quadruple world champion.
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff is also interested, although he’s keeping publicly quite quiet in order to back current lineup Russell and rookie Kimi Antonelli.
Russell, 27, is out of contract at the end of the year, but he’s also riding career-high form. Ousting Antonelli would seem unlikely, but so too is the prospect of a Russell-Verstappen partnership.
“I don’t think so,” Vowles, the Williams boss who is still close to Wolff, said in Saudi Arabia when asked if he can imagine the two drivers as teammates.
“I think they’re two very different characters.”
Russell, however, sounds more open to the idea – or at least pragmatic about Verstappen’s potential availability.
“Why wouldn’t they want to sign Max?” the Briton said. “That’s completely understandable. He’s the best driver at the moment. He’s a four-time world champion.
“That’s nothing against myself or Kimi. There are two drivers for each team and he (Verstappen) is just one person.”
If Russell sounds relaxed, it could be because he left Bahrain a few days ago amid authoritative speculation that Wolff was poised to offer him a lucrative new two-year contract.
“Rumours are never very reliable, are they?” he laughed at Jeddah.
“Some of them are pretty close to reality, I guess, but at the end of the day, we never discuss contracts until May or June of a season.”
Russell also pointed out that – as Verstappen’s current situation is proving – contracts in Formula 1 are rarely worth much more than the cost of the paper and lawyer’s fees.
“When it comes to contracts, everyone gets excited, but the fact is that drivers have contracts and if they don’t perform, they get replaced. For drivers, performance is our currency,” he said. “That’s all we have.
“I’m not worried because my performance speaks for itself. I’m performing as well as anyone on the grid at the moment.”
