George Russell responds to Max Verstappen speculation over shock Mercedes move
With Max Verstappen linked with a possible move to Mercedes for 2025 as Red Bull’s off-track dramas continue, George Russell has shared his thoughts.
With all sorts of speculation about what may happen at Red Bull as the fallout from Christian Horner’s Red Bull GmbH investigation continues, one rumour that’s emerged is that Max Verstappen could be a possibility to replace Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes when the seat is vacated for 2025.
George Russell: I welcome anybody and I welcome the challenge
George Russell, who remains at Mercedes and has the backing of the team to rise to the challenge of leading the team when Hamilton departs, was asked about the possibility of Verstappen making the shock move to Brackley from Milton Keynes.
With Russell and Verstappen having had a minor spat during last season during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend, the British driver was asked how he’d feel about the Dutch driver moving to become his teammate.
“As I said last week in Bahrain, this is my third season now alongside Lewis, the greatest driver of all time, and I feel like I’ve done a pretty good job alongside him,” he said, saying he doesn’t fear the prospect of the three-time F1 World Champion moving alongside him.
“So whoever were to line up alongside me next year or the years to come, I welcome anybody and welcome the challenge.
“You always want to go against the best but, ultimately for me, I just focus on myself. I believe in myself.
“I believe I can beat anybody on the grid. You’ve just got to have that mentality.
“Having Lewis as my benchmark for the last couple of years has been a pretty good benchmark for sure.”
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While Verstappen to Mercedes remains an unlikely scenario for now, Russell said there isn’t a team on the grid who would turn up their nose at signing such a talent should one be interested in making the move.
“I think any team wants to have the best driver lineup possible and yeah, right now, Max is the the best driver on the grid,” he conceded.
With Toto Wolff having cheekily stoked the fire by saying “Anything is possible” about a Verstappen switch, Russell said the possibility is likely more on Verstappen’s side rather than Mercedes’.
“If any team had a chance to sign Max, they’d 100 percent be taking him,” he said.
“I think the question is more on the other side, on his side and Red Bull’s side, obviously there’s so much going on there.
“We don’t know what truly is going on behind closed doors and, ultimately, it is none of our business right now. I guess it’d be exciting!”
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