George Russell says Mercedes are talking to Max Verstappen about signing him for next season.
The 27-year-old Briton is out of contract with Mercedes next year, and his remarks bring back to the surface a narrative that always threatened to dominate this summer in Formula 1.
World champion Verstappen is under contract to Red Bull until the end of 2028, but the deal is said to have break clauses that the Dutchman could use to exit.
“It’s only normal that conversations with the likes of Verstappen are ongoing,” Russell told Sky Sports., external
“But from my side, if I’m performing as I’m doing, what have I got to be concerned about? There are two seats in every Formula 1 team.”
Russell added to BBC Sport: “Toto has made it clear to me that how I’m performing is as good as anybody.
“There is only one driver that you can debate in terms of performance. These are his words and not my words, and that is why I have no concern about my future.
“But there are two seats to every team and I guess he needs to think who are those two drivers.”
Russell’s comments imply that his own contract talks with team principal Toto Wolff are being delayed by Mercedes’ conversations with the four-time champion.
Wolff said at the Austrian Grand Prix on Friday: “George has always performed to the expectations we set. We haven’t given him a car to win the world championship in the last three years and that’s on us.
“The times the car is good, he has been winning races. You know he is going to extract what’s in the car.
“In a normal business the contract discussions are not being held as town halls, everything is normal, everything is going to plan.”
In direct response to Russell’s comments on Verstappen, Wolff said: “You are going into territory I don’t want to discuss out there. People discuss and explore, and in our organisation people are transparent. But it doesn’t change a millimetre of my opinion of George.”
In a separate interview with Sky, Wolff was asked if Russell was “likelier” to be in a Mercedes than Verstappen in 2026 and answered “yes”.
He added: “These drivers are clever people, they talk with each other, and I’m always open about things and I’m saying it as it is, and there is no such things as saying we’re going to sign Max, because this is so far away that’s it’s not realistic at that stage.”
Verstappen refused to directly comment when he was asked on Thursday whether he would be staying with Red Bull next year.
“I don’t think we need to talk about that,” he said. “It’s not really on my mind. Just driving well, trying to push the performance, and then we focus on next year.”