George Russell adamant he will not be leaving Mercedes: ‘Toto has never let me down'

Independent

2 days ago

George Russell believes he won't be leaving Mercedes at the end of the season despite speculation linking Red Bull's Max Verstappen with the team.
Russell, who is in the middle of his fourth season with Mercedes, does not currently have a contract beyond 2025 despite a strong first half of the season.
Four-time F1 world champion Verstappen has long been courted by Mercedes boss Toto Wolff and reports in Italian media this week state that the Dutchman is open to the prospect of joining the Silver Arrows next year. Russell revealed last week that Mercedes are in discussions with Verstappen.
But Russell, who is in the midst of his first campaign without Lewis Hamilton as his teammate, insists he knows where Mercedes's loyalty lies.
'There's a lot of conversations behind the scenes that are not public and I know where their loyalty lies,' Russell said, ahead of this weekend's British Grand Prix.
'It doesn't need to be public or broadcast to everybody, we've spoken a bit more in the last week.
'Every team has two seats available, it's normal that every team is considering what the future holds. I don't take that personally. I made it clear from the beginning that I'm happy to be teammates with anybody.
'Toto has never let me down, he's given me his word, but he's also going to do what's right for his team. For me, it's nothing to worry about. I don't think I'll be going anywhere.'
Asked directly if he was speaking to other teams, Russell replied: 'No.'
The 27-year-old, teammates with 18-year-old rookie Kimi Antonelli this year, added that he hopes for a resolution in the 'next few weeks', before F1's summer break starts at the beginning of August. He signed off the press conference by stating: 'The likelihood I'm not at Mercedes next year is exceptionally low.'
Verstappen has a contract at Red Bull until the end of 2028, but various reports this week have stated that he can activate a release clause if he is lower than fourth in the drivers' standings by the summer break.
The Dutchman is currently third in the standings, 36 points ahead of Charles Leclerc in fifth and nine points clear of Russell in fourth.