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Martin Brundle feels George Russell needs to be careful because if Max Verstappen is available, Mercedes could ditch him for the Dutch driver. The 2025 F1 season has begun on a positive note for the British driver as he has risen to the occasion and become more and more of a leader within Mercedes.
With that being said, the driver doesn't have a contract in place for 2026. His current contract with Mercedes comes to an end at the end of this season, and beyond that, an extension has not yet been signed. While both Toto Wolff and George Russell have been quick to shut down any suggestions that there's an issue with the extension, questions have been raised.
The biggest of them have come into the picture, with the 4x F1 champion Max Verstappen potentially looking for a way out of Red Bull. The reigning champion has been frustrated with a lack of development at Milton Keynes, as he quite clearly doesn't have the car to challenge championship leaders McLaren for the title.
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It all came to a head in Bahrain when the driver had a horrendous race and could only finish P6. Max Verstappen's contract essentially runs till the end of the 2028 F1 season, but there are performance clauses in place that could aid the Dutch driver's move out of the team.
If Max Verstappen does look at Mercedes as a possible option, George Russell, whose contract is up for renewal, still could lose out. Martin Brundle echoed these thoughts as he told Sky Sports (via racingnews365.com):
"If Max Verstappen was sprung onto the marketplace, I would be quite worried for George actually. Because Kimi is obviously their man for the future, and it is a lot of ifs and George is doing a great job as team leader, but Toto missed out on Max once, and I don't think he'll miss a second time if he gets the opportunity."
George Russell's stunning start to the season
George Russell has had a stunning start to the 2025 F1 season as well. The Mercedes driver has been on the podium in three out of the four races this year. Not only that, the driver is just 14 points behind championship leader Lando Norris and is 4th in the championship right now. Crediting the Brit's impressive start to the year, Brundle told the aforementioned publication:
"George has been driving well all season, a little bit off the pace, but he's been getting the best out of it, and his young team-mate Kimi Antonelli is cruising up to his gearbox as well, keeping him on his toes,"
He added:
"It is a great driver line-up they have there, but George has just been out of frame, like in Suzuka, it was the top three and George has been out of frame, out of mind, but he has had a very solid season."
There might be a big twist in store for everyone in the silly season, as a potential driver switch between Max Verstappen and George Russell could be in the works if things don't improve at Red Bull.
