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george russell He believes that the majority of drivers on the Formula One grid will want to remain in their Mercedes seats next season.
The 27-year-old signed a new multi-year contract this week after lengthy negotiations and persistent rumors linking him to the four-time world champion. max verstappen With the team.
Mercedes announces its driver line-up until the end of next season with Russell’s teammate kmy antonelli Locked in until the end of 2026.
This potentially leaves the door open to targeting Verstappen again for 2027, with many believing Mercedes to be well placed to boast the strongest engine for the new rules of the sport next season.
Russell is confident he is in the best position and believes he can achieve the most coveted seat in F1.
“I think if I had every seat available now and I could choose one to race in the 2026 season, I would choose Mercedes,” Russell said.
“I think a lot of drivers will do the same.
“Nobody can predict what is going to happen in the future and I am sure that next year there will be huge uncertainties and unknown events and surprises, good and bad.
“But you can only make a decision based on the information you have at the moment and I’m very happy with the information I have.
“I think there are a lot of expectations for next year but it’s a very exciting year and I want nothing more than that.”
Russell has been one of the star performers on the grid this season and his new deal follows victory in Singapore a fortnight ago.
He falls 36 points behind third-place Verstappen in the driver standings heading into this weekend’s United States Grand Prix.
Russell reiterated his stance that he would be happy to get the chance to test himself with the Dutchman if such a situation arose.
“It’s never really been a worry for me and I’m 100 per cent confident in my abilities and I’d love to get the chance to go with them,” he said.
“I want to go up against the best in the world and when I joined the team, becoming team-mates with Lewis (Hamilton), it felt like a big achievement for anyone and at the time, people considered Lewis untouchable in the same way people consider Max untouchable today.”