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George Russell says “there’s a lot of conversations behind the scenes that are not public”, but he knows where Mercedes’ “loyalty lies”.
There have been a lot of rumours swirling around that Max Verstappen could be on his way to Mercedes in 2026.
Some have even said that if this was to happen, the Dutch driver would take George Russell’s spot.
Asked to clarify the situation, George responded:
“I mean, there’s a lot of conversations behind the scenes that are not public. And I know where their loyalty lies. It doesn’t need to be public. It doesn’t need to be broadcast to everybody.
“We’ve obviously spoken a little bit more over the last week because there’s numerous news articles and whatnot out there.
“But in all honesty, it doesn’t really change anything my side because, as I’ve said before, I feel I’m performing better than ever. And it’s as simple as that really. Performance speaks for everything.”
Asked if he thinks it’s unfair that he is at the centre of these rumours, despite his great performances in 2025, the Briton said:
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“I mean, that’s for you to judge. For me, I feel quite thick-skinned, and I don’t really read much news or listen to rumours.
“I just focus on the facts, and I focus on the driving. I said it at the beginning of this year, you can have a contract, but if you don’t perform, you’re out.
“And if you do perform, everything sorts itself out. So, yeah, from my side, not really much more to add really and just focus on the driving as I’ve been for this whole year.”
As for the deadline on when a decision will be made regarding his future with the team, George said:
“I mean, there’s not really any deadline in place, to be honest. Obviously, naturally, you try and have stuff done before the summer break.
“From my side, Mercedes manage me as well, so it’s not really a deadline in my hands as such. So, yeah, not really. And I’m not even thinking about it right now.
“Obviously, there’s a lot of questions about it. But the more we speak, the less we speak about it, nothing really changes.
“It’ll happen when the time is right. I expect probably in the next couple of weeks, probably something to happen. But, yeah, we’ll need to wait and see.”
When asked if he has any other team in mind if Mercedes decides not to extend his contract, the Briton responded:
“I mean, every team has two seats available, and it’s normal that every team is considering what the future holds. And I don’t take that personally because I made it clear from the beginning.
“I’m happy to be team-mates with anybody. So of course there’s lots of conversations, lots of rumours, and all of these are being pointed towards me.
“But from my side, that isn’t really going to be the case. I want to continue with Mercedes into the future.
“The fact is, Toto has never let me down. He’s always given me his word, but he’s also got to do what’s right for his team, which includes me. But it also includes the thousands of people who work for Mercedes.
“For me, it’s nothing to worry about because I don’t think I’ll be going anywhere. And whoever my teammate will be, it doesn’t concern me either.
“So, just focus on the driving,” Russell concluded.
