Yesterday at 06:30
George Russell has declared that he will just "focus on the
driving" as speculation around his Mercedes future grows. The team
has been heavily linked with luring Max Verstappen from Red Bull
for 2026, with Toto Wolff a long-time admirer of the Dutchman.
Although both he and team-mate Kimi Antonelli are out of contract,
Russell has been largely identified as the driver most likely to
leave to make way for Verstappen should a deal be agreed. This is
despite Russell enjoying his best-ever start to a season, with five
podiums, including one win to his name, as he is just 18 points
behind Verstappen in the standings. Addressing the situation,
Russell explained how he had developed a "thick skin" and was just
concentrating on what he can control. "I mean that is for you to
judge," Russell began to tell media, including RacingNews365 , if
he felt it was unfair to be involved in the rumours given his
strong start to the season. "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 on the driving. "At the beginning of the
year, I said you can have a contract, but if you don't perform,
you're out. "And if you perform, everything sorts itself out, so I
will just focus on the driving as I've been for this whole year."
