George Russell on the chopping block as Mercedes inches closer to securing Max Verstappen: report
The four-time world champion's potential move to Mercedes has thrown the Formula 1 paddock into disarray, with serious questions now being raised about George Russell's future at the team he now calls home.
Speculation that Verstappen is considering a sensational switch from Red Bull to Mercedes reached fever pitch ahead of this weekend's British Grand Prix, as new reports out of Italy suggested talks between the reigning world champion and Mercedes had progressed.
Sky Italy reported the deal was 'close' to being closed, but nothing has been confirmed by either team.
It's understood that Verstappen's camp initiated contact, and Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff was quick to oblige.
'As a team principal responsible for the best car brand in the world, it is clear you're exploring what a four-time world champion is going to do in the future,' Wolff said last weekend in Austria.
Verstappen remains under contract with Red Bull until 2028, but his deal reportedly includes performance-based exit clauses. With Red Bull's dominance no longer assured and Verstappen sitting third in the standings — just nine points ahead of Russell — murmurs of a potential departure have grown louder.
Christian Horner has dismissed it all as 'a lot of noise', while Helmut Marko insists the exit clauses haven't been triggered despite Red Bull's obvious slump.
'As things currently stand, there is absolutely no reason that this contract won't be fulfilled,' Marko said.
But if Verstappen does jump ship, Mercedes will need to make room — and that's where things get mighty uncomfortable for Wolff.
On paper, the logical candidate to make way is 18-year-old Kimi Antonelli.
He's done incredibly well in his first few showings at the highest level, but Russell is still by and large the team's most capable point scorer.
But cutting the teenage prodigy Mercedes has spent years nurturing through the junior ranks would ignite a PR firestorm the team will avoid like the plague.
Dropping Antonelli before he even gets a proper shot would seriously undermine the development system Wolff has championed.
That leaves Russell in the firing line.
Russell has been one of the standout performers of 2025, consistently outperforming the car and emerging as a reliable team leader after Hamilton's exit.
His axing would go down as one of the coldest in modern F1 history. But it's not entirely unprecedented, according to former driver and commentary royalty Martin Brundle
The Sky Sports Pundit says that despite Russell's impressive form, his contract remains unsigned for 2026.
'He's the more vulnerable of the two,' Brundle said. 'If Mercedes really want Max, Russell is probably the one who has to move on.'
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