Max Verstappen to Mercedes rumours will only intensify after George Russell admission
George Russell has admitted there is still no news to share over a new Mercedes contract and that it is "unlikely" a deal will be struck before the Formula 1 summer break. It means no end soon to the long-running saga of speculation that the Brit could be replaced by Max Verstappen.
The Dutchman has a Red Bull contract until 2028, but the deal contains release clauses which could allow him to walk away with the team's performance in decline. He has been most strongly linked with Mercedes and team principal Toto Wolff is a known admirer of the four-time F1 champion.
To make room for Verstappen, Mercedes would have to let one of their current stars go. Teenage rookie Kimi Antonelli is also out of contract this year, but it has long been understood that Russell would be the most likely to make way in the event the Dutchman decided to quit Red Bull, despite a strong season to date.
Mercedes don't want to let Antonelli go as they see him as the next big superstar of the sport, so a new deal for Russell would all-but end any realistic chance of Verstappen joining Mercedes for the 2026 season. But the 27-year-old has admitted there has still been no movement on that front.
Quizzed on his future ahead of this weekend's Belgian Grand Prix, Russell said: "I think it's got to be right both ways. The intention was always pre-summer break, because people go into summer wanting to get something sorted.
"Realistically, is that going to be the case? I don't know. There is no contract on the table, so to have something done in the space of two weeks is unlikely."
READ MORE: Max Verstappen opens up on Christian Horner axe and how it affects his Red Bull future
Russell is in the awkward position of also being managed personally by Mercedes. That, in theory, would make contract renewal talks a lot smoother, while Russell has on many occasions expressed publicly his desire to stay with Mercedes, and so it seems clear that the hold-up is because, for whatever reason, the team is stalling.
"It's got to work both ways and you need to talk about the finer details," said Russell, attempting to play down the significance of the delay. "F1 is evolving so much now, you need to go through everything with a fine-tooth comb to make sure it's all okay.
"There is no rush, really, from my side, because ultimately, Toto and the team will decide what they wish to do. I will be in a position of reacting to what they wish to do. I'm just focusing on performance and everything else will sort itself out."
Meanwhile, Verstappen insists the departure of Christian Horner after 20 years in charge of Red Bull will have no bearing on his future plans. He said: "I don't think it will make any difference to my decision about the future. The only thing that matters is that we're working on the car and making it as fast as possible."
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BBC News
6 minutes ago
- BBC News
Early qualifying exit incredibly painful
Belgian Grand PrixVenue: Spa Dates: 25-27 July Race start: 14:00 BST on SundayCoverage: Live commentary of practice and qualifying on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 2 with race on BBC Radio 5 Live; live text updates on BBC Sport website and app Lewis Hamilton says it was "incredibly painful" to be knocked out in the first session of qualifying and line up 16th for the Belgian Grand seven-time champion set a time just 0.009 seconds slower than team-mate Charles Leclerc in the session but had it deleted for exceeding track limits at the high-speed Raidillon corner."It's incredibly painful," said Hamilton, who was also knocked out in the first session of qualifying for Saturday's sprint race, after running wide on one lap and a spin on his second."It's turning out to be a pretty bad weekend so far."From my side I made a mistake so I've got to look internal and I've got to apologise to my team because that is just unacceptable to be out in both Q1s."It's a very poor performance for myself."Hamilton said he would review the incident with the stewards to try to understand what had happened."Everyone takes that kerb, it's probably the furthest I've been (over it)."The error was the same as one made by McLaren's Oscar Piastri in the second part of sprint qualifying on Friday, but the Australian had time for another run and managed to introduced a new rear suspension design for this weekend which was aimed at allowing them to run the car lower to create more downforce without running into problems wearing out the underbody too much, as well as improving drivability and has sounded lukewarm about the changes so far this qualifying, he said: "I was the same as I was for the rest of the weekend. We made some changes and the car didn't feel terrible."Just really sorry for the team. All the hard work on the filming day we did and all the preparation and we come here and don't go through Q1. It's not acceptable."We are trying to do the best with what we have and obviously everyone is working flat out back at the factory."We have had upgrades but I think that's probably it for the rest of the year and I think the first focus is now, back at the factory at least, to focus on next year's car. This season has been a tricky one."Leclerc was more positive about the car, after admitting to surprising himself by qualifying ahead of Red Bull's Max Verstappen behind the was 0.338secs behind pole-winner Lando Norris and just 0.003secs ahead of Verstappen, whose last lap was compromised by an error out of the first said: "It's an upgrade and it's a step in the right direction but we are still speaking about very fine differences over the whole lap."So it feels a little bit different and it's going in the right direction and again that's thanks to the hard work that the whole team has done back at the factory."Unfortunately for us, McLaren has also brought a few things this weekend and seems to have done a small step in the right direction as well so it's very difficult to close the gap but I think we are doing a good job as a team and we just need to keep working."Rain is expected to hit the Spa track for the grand prix, but F1 rules prevent teams making changes to their cars between qualifying and said: "I don't think there's really much we can do so I will just start from where I am and see where I can go from there." What to expect in the race Norris goes into the grand prix nine points behind Piastri in the championship, after losing one further point by finishing third, one place behind the Australian, in the sprint race earlier on lost the lead - and eventual victory - to Verstappen on the first lap of the sprint on the long run to the Les Combes chicane because of the power of the slipstream, but wet weather should make it easier for Norris to keep the rain would also add a lot more jeopardy for everyone - Spa is notoriously difficult in the said: "It's probably going to rain. I don't know much more than that, so we'll wait and see."It's also Spa, so higher chance of rain. But that can also mean that it just sometimes hits half the track and the other half stays dry."So could be in for just a chaotic race, similar to Australia or Silverstone, the ones that are just sometimes a bit in the middle. But most likely some rain and some drizzle."We're going off the front, so hopefully I can just make advantage of that and clean air and go from there.""We have the best car so that's the most important thing."Rain might give Verstappen a chance to challenge the McLarens that he might not have had starting behind in the Bull ran a low-downforce set-up for the sprint but have added more downforce for the grand prix expecting the wet the four-time champion said winning "will be tough".Verstappen said: "First of all, if it's wet you can't really see anything so you can't really do anything in lap one."I hope we can fight back to a podium but normally in the wet the McLarens are also very fast, the have that really under control with how the inters are working. So I am not under any illusions."Leclerc said he expected to struggle if it was wet, on the evidence of the year so far, and the previous rain-affected race at Silverstone."Wet weather, I don't think it's a strength for our car at the moment," Leclerc said. "We are really struggling."But having said that, every weekend is different. We'll learn from the past and see what's possible tomorrow. I will only be able to tell after the first few laps to see where we are. But I'll try to look forward before looking in mirrors."
South Wales Guardian
30 minutes ago
- South Wales Guardian
Lando Norris braced for rain-hit Belgian Grand Prix after clinching pole
Norris edged out McLaren team-mate Piastri by just 0.085 seconds at Spa-Francorchamps, with Ferrari's Charles Leclerc third. In the other scarlet car, Lewis Hamilton was eliminated in Q1 and was set to line up from a lowly 16th – a performance the seven-time world champion described as 'unacceptable'. Our top three in qualifying 😀🤩😀#F1 #BelgianGP — Formula 1 (@F1) July 26, 2025 Norris secured his fourth pole of the season and his second in three races in dry conditions, but rain is forecast to hit Sunday's 44-lap race in the Ardennes. However, Norris has won both of the two races staged in the wet this year – the curtain raiser in Melbourne and the last round in Silverstone three weeks ago – and said: 'It's probably going to rain and at Spa, there is a high chance it could just hit half of the track and not the other half, so we could be in for a chaotic race like Australia or Silverstone. 'Hopefully I can take advantage from being at the front, but I don't expect it to be dry. I expect it to be raining and for there to be more chaos.' Norris qualified six tenths behind Piastri for Saturday's sprint race. He started third and finished in the same position with Piastri one place above him – allowing the Australian to extend his championship lead from eight points to nine. Max Verstappen won the first Formula One race staged following Christian Horner's dismissal as Red Bull team principal and the defending champion will start from fourth for Sunday's main event. Yet in qualifying on Saturday, Norris delivered with his first lap in Q3 to hold a near two-tenth advantage over Piastri heading into the concluding runs and although he failed to improve and Piastri did, it was enough to take the 13th pole of his career as he bids for a hat-trick of consecutive wins. 'Everyone was pretty worried after yesterday but I wasn't even that far off,' said Norris. 'There was nothing to worry about, but people like to make a lot of things up. It was just a couple of little issues that I had. 'I was confident coming into today so it was nice to get back on top.' At the other end of the grid, Hamilton will have just four drivers behind him when the lights go out on Sunday. His lap was chalked off by the stewards after he ran all four wheels of his Ferrari off the circuit at Raidillon. Hamilton, who spun in qualifying for the sprint race and then improved only three places from his grid slot of 18th, is without a podium for Ferrari – the deepest he has ever gone into a season without a top-three finish. 'I don't agree (with the stewards' decision), but I'm out,' said the 40-year-old. 'It was another mistake from my side and I have to look internally. 'I have to apologise to my team because it is just unacceptable to be out in both Q1s this weekend. A very, very poor performance.'
South Wales Guardian
30 minutes ago
- South Wales Guardian
Lando Norris edges out McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri to claim pole in Belgium
Norris finished third, a place behind McLaren team-mate Piastri in the earlier sprint race at Spa-Francorchamps, but the British driver bounced back to secure his second pole in three races. Charles Leclerc took third for Ferrari but team-mate Lewis Hamilton's weekend took another nightmare twist after he qualified only 16th. LANDO NORRIS TAKES POLE AT SPA!!! 🤩 Oscar Piastri finishes just behind his team mate while Charles Leclerc is third quickest 👏#F1 #BelgianGP — Formula 1 (@F1) July 26, 2025 Max Verstappen – who won the first Formula One race staged following Christian Horner's dismissal as Red Bull team principal in Saturday's 15-lap dash – was fourth, one position clear of Williams' Alex Albon, with George Russell sixth for Mercedes. Piastri extended his championship advantage over Norris from eight points to nine and appeared to hold the upper hand over his team-mate heading into qualifying. However, Norris delivered with his first lap of Q3 to hold a near two-tenth advantage over Piastri heading into the concluding runs and – although he failed to improve, and Piastri did – it was enough to take first place as he looks to build on his wins in Austria and Silverstone. Norris qualified six tenths behind Piastri in Friday's qualifying and he said: 'Everyone was quite worried after yesterday. But I was always confident, so it is nice to get back on top. 'The car has been flying all weekend and Oscar and I have been pushing each other a lot. You can see each other's strengths and weaknesses (on the shared team data) so that makes it a tough battle.' Rain is forecast for Sunday's 44-lap race, and Norris continued: 'I prefer it to stay dry. But I don't mind if it is wet, or dry, or somewhere in the middle. I just hope it is an exciting race.' Hamilton, who started 18th and finished 15th in the earlier sprint race earlier, was eliminated in Q1 for Sunday's main event after his best lap was chalked off by the stewards. The Briton thought he had done enough to haul his Ferrari into the next phase of qualifying when he posted the seventh best time. But moments later, his lap was deleted after he was adjudged to have run all four wheels of his Ferrari off the circuit at Raidillon. That dropped him way down the order. 'Is everything OK?' Hamilton asked on the radio. 'Track limits,' replied Hamilton's race engineer, Ricardo Adami. 'Am I out?' Hamilton replied. 'Lap time is deleted, P16,' came the response. There was no response from the 40-year-old who is left to reflect on another sobering result of his difficult start to life at Ferrari. Hamilton, who spun in qualifying for the sprint, enters Sunday's race without a podium for Ferrari – the deepest he has gone into a season in his career without a top-three finish. Hamilton's replacement at Mercedes, Kimi Antonelli, also failed to emerge from Q1 and will start 18th, with both Aston Martins on the final row of the grid following a dismal qualifying session for the British team. Fernando Alonso will line up from 19th, with team-mate Lance Stroll 20th and last. Ollie Bearman finished an impressive seventh in the sprint, but then qualified 12th as he complained the start of his final lap was compromised by Red Bull's Yuki Tsunoda.
