Russell claims Antonelli was at risk for F1 2026, not him, amid Verstappen rumours

George Russell has revealed he never thought his Formula 1 seat at Mercedes was under threat for next year, claiming “it was more of a question” of who his team-mate would be.

The 27-year-old’s contract expires at the end of the 2025 campaign just like that of his rookie team-mate Andrea Kimi Antonelli, leading to speculation either one of them could be replaced by Max Verstappen.

But that speculation ended when the four-time world champion confirmed last month that he will stay at Red Bull, meaning Russell and Antonelli are now expected to remain with Mercedes.

There was talk that Verstappen could partner Antonelli, despite the 19-year-old having a tough season compared to Russell who has been one of the standout performers – evident through his Canada win and him being fourth in the championship. 

So, when asked ahead of this weekend’s Dutch Grand Prix if he ever believed his Mercedes future was in doubt, Russell said: “No, not at all, to be honest. It was more of a question of who my team-mate was going to be.

“I think I’m quite rational to how this sport works, and the team felt like they didn’t need to sign a deal.

“I didn’t really feel I needed to push it so much when it got to a certain point. I believe in myself more than ever.

“I’ve always believed in myself, and my results have always shown that. It’s not just the form of this year, but through my whole career since the age of 10 years old. So, yeah, if you back yourself and if you perform, you’ll never have anything to worry about.”

Russell believes it was an “unkept secret” that Mercedes had been talking to Verstappen, with the Briton yet to sign a contract extension.

However, the four-time grand prix winner claims he and Mercedes are in no rush having just returned from the annual F1 summer break. 

“We’re in positive talks at the moment,” said Russell, who previously confirmed nothing was going to happen in August.

“As I said, nothing was going to happen during the summer break, because from both of our sides there was no reason for it to happen, because we wanted to ultimately enjoy the short time we had off, but things are moving in the right direction.

“So, yeah, hopefully in due course, but as I said before the break, we need to make sure it’s right and there isn’t any time pressure from my side, there’s no time pressure from the team’s side, so it may take longer than ordinarily, but there’s no reason for you guys to read any more into that than the reality.

George Russell, Mercedes, Toto Wolff, Mercedes

Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images

“It’s just juggling a lot of priorities between contract performance, development of 2026, sponsorship events, and getting back in shape training-wise, and then of course doing the contract. It’s not like the world stops just to sort it.”

Russell confirmed “my goal is to win with Mercedes, it’s clear as that”, but it is not yet known if that will translate into a multi-year contract extension, or one that just covers the 2026 campaign. 

Next year will witness the introduction of widespread regulation changes, meaning the pecking order is currently unknown, and that is playing a part in the contract negotiations. 

“You’ve got to look at what would be beneficial for you, but also what the risks are,” said Russell, who joined Mercedes as a junior driver. 

“So, you’ve got to play that risk-reward scenario. I am loyal to Mercedes, because we’ve supported one another so much over these years, and as I said, I want to win with Mercedes, but everything has to be right and everything has to be aligned.

“So, whether that means it’s a one-year, whether that means it’s multi-year, that’s sort of what we’re in the process of discussing now and going from there.”