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george russell open to happen max verstappen As future teammates mercedesSaying: “You don’t have to be best teammates to be teammates.”
Verstappen has been linked with a move away from Red Bull in recent months after enduring a disappointing season in the shadow of McLaren’s dominance. The four-time world champions have pulled themselves back into the title race, but are trailing Championship leader Lando Norris by 36 points Going into the final four races of the season.
mercedes team principal Toto Wolff Recently admitted that his attempts to poach Verstappen from Red Bull had “destabilized” his team after pictures emerged of the pair socializing on his yacht in the summer.
Russell’s own future was in doubt after several months of contract negotiations with Mercedes, but he eventually signed a new deal Last month he joined the team with talented young Italian Kimi Antonelli.
Russell’s relationship with Verstappen strained after clashes on track and in the media Verstappen labels Briton “two-faced” Following the Qatar Grand Prix earlier this season, Russell called his rival a “bully” in response. But Russell insists the pair could work together in the same team if Mercedes were ever to secure Verstappen’s signature.
“We don’t really talk, but we don’t ignore each other either,” Russell said in an exclusive interview about their relationship in the paddock. daily telegraph“It doesn’t cause me to lose sleep. And it certainly doesn’t cause him to lose sleep. So it doesn’t bother me at all.
“Life is short. We are all adults. We all learn from these experiences. You don’t need to be best friends to be team-mates. Senna and Prost were not good friends and they still finished one-two. Lewis and Nico [Rosberg]One-two. Obviously Lewis and Fernando [Alonso] There is one notable exception. But Lewis should have won that year [2007]So yes, Max is an incredible driver. This cannot be denied. But that’s why I’ll enjoy going against him. We all believe that we are the best.”
Russell also stepped in to clarify the status of his new contract, explaining that the “multi-year” clause was conditional on performance and that he is only secured at Mercedes for one more year.
“It’s something I haven’t really said publicly, but the deal is, if I’m performing [in 2026]We have a specific clause that if I reach [a certain target]We will automatically renew for 2027. So my seat for 2027 is in my hands. So I am not being trapped here. We will not be in the same situation as we were six months ago. If I perform, and I don’t want to go into details, but if I perform, I will be 100 percent.