Russell shrugs off Mercedes future questions amid Verstappen speculation

George Russell says there have been no significant talks about his future at Mercedes but that he understands why Max Verstappen will always be on the team’s radar as “one of the GOATs.”

Verstappen has been linked with Mercedes over the past 18 months, amid Red Bull’s slip from consistent competitiveness and a spell of instability within the team. With Russell out of contract at the end of this year, talks have yet to progress but the Briton insists he is unconcerned and believes Verstappen’s status as one of the greatest of all time (GOAT) means he will always be a consideration for any team.

“No real conversations to be honest, because we've got bigger fish to fry at the moment, which is making our car go faster,” Russell said. “I know I'm going to be in Formula 1 next year. My intention and goal is to stay with Mercedes and I think that's very much the intention of Toto [Wolff] as well. To be honest, there's no real reason for either of us to deviate.

“It's understandable – the likes of Max have always been on the radar because why wouldn't he be on the radar? He's one of the GOATs and I get that, but then it's down to you to prove your worth. And I feel I've done that time and time again over the course of seven years in F1 and my whole career. So I've got no concerns.”

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Russell’s comments about Verstappen come despite a run-in between the two in the Spanish Grand Prix two weeks ago, and while the pair haven’t discussed the incident itself, the Mercedes driver now believes the contact was not intentional.

“I was a bit surprised to see him taking responsibility, because it's quite unlike him," Russell said. "We actually bumped into each other at the airport a few days ago, but we didn't even chat about it. He was there with his family and his newborn, chatting about how that was going. He was busy folding the pram and trying to get it through the security scanner.

“So, look, there's nothing from my side I need to talk about. Had I been taken out of the race, I'd be feeling very differently for sure. Ultimately, his actions benefited me, cost him, and I should say thanks.

“I want to believe that he didn't intentionally try to crash into me, because that would be pretty bonkers. I think he just tried to show who was boss and put his elbows out and just got it wrong. So, I think anything more of a penalty than what he received would have been a bit much. But that all depends if it was intentional or not, ultimately.”