Max Verstappen will not be teaming up with George Russell at Mercedes next season, stopping fans from watching two of F1’s fiercest rivals go blow for blow. According to Express Sport readers, however, this will be a good thing for the Brit. Russell has worked hard to establish himself as the leader for the future at Mercedes since stepping up from Williams in 2022.
The Brit matched legendary team-mate Lewis Hamilton stride for stride over three years, and has since stepped up a notch, putting rookie colleague Kimi Antonelli under intense pressure in 2025. However, his position at the top of the Mercedes food chain was threatened when Wolff’s long-running pursuit of Verstappen looked to be heading in the right direction. If signed, the Silver Arrows’ boss would have faced a difficult decision to axe either Russell or rookie team-mate Kimi Antonelli.
In the end, Wolff didn’t have to make the call, as the results of the Belgian Grand Prix put Verstappen’s summer break exit clause out of play. The wait to see Russell in the same driver line-up as the four-time world champion continues.
According to Express Sport readers, this should be good news for the Brit. In a survey of 3,000 voters, 61 per cent believed that Russell would not be able to beat the reigning world champion in a head-to-head battle, with only 39 per cent backing the man from King’s Lynn to come out on top.
Despite having public opinion stacked against him, Russell has total belief in his ability. The 27-year-old’s self-confidence is backed up by an impressive head-to-head record against seven-time world champion Hamilton, who he dominated in qualifying in the duo’s final year together.
For the latest breaking stories and headlines, sign up to our Daily Express F1 newsletter, or join our WhatsApp community here.
“I’ve always said that I’m not afraid of being someone’s team-mate,” Russell said when Mercedes’ links with Verstappen came to the fore. “At the end of 2021, Lewis was the hottest stock in the field.
“No one would have thought that someone at Mercedes could beat him as a team-mate. I came in and performed from the first race. I always believed in myself. The reputation he had is the same one Max has now.
“No one believes that Max is beatable, and the same was thought about Lewis back then. People forget that Lewis came into Formula One as a rookie, and was on the podium every time in his first six races, with a two-time world champion as team-mate. That says a lot.”