Unofficial reports have claimed that Red Bull Racing had talks with George Russell for the 2026 driver seat. This is shocking for many fans and Formula 1 pundits, as during a recent interview, team principal Christian Horner said Verstappen will stay in Red Bull for the 2026 season. But it looks like talks have already started between the British driver and Horner.
Max Verstappen has been linked with Mercedes and Aston Martin for the last few years. The Dutch driver's father, Jos Verstappen, doesn't want his son to stay in Red Bull Racing, as he feels the car is uncompetitive. He wants his son to move to Mercedes, which he feels is a better place to be a driver. Verstappen remains loyal to Red Bull, where he was recently asked about his future with the team.
The Red Bull driver gave a savage reply, saying he is focusing on his driving and asked the Sky Sports commentator to focus on commentating. Mercedes boss Toto Wolff also snubbed the question regarding signing Max Verstappen. Toto said he is happy with his current driver lineup and doesn't want to focus on other teams. He also said George is now at the same level as Max.
George Russell moving to Red Bull?
Now, unofficial news coming out of the Red Bull camp claims that Christian Horner is having talks with George Russell as his future driver. Max Verstappen signed with Red Bull till the 2028 season, but he can break his agreement with some clauses. One of them is leaving the team if he finishes 3rd or below in the driver's championship.
Max Verstappen is third in the 2025 driver's championship, behind Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris. Mercedes driver George Russell is not far behind, as he is catching up with Verstappen. Red Bull’s RB21 is slower than the McLaren and Mercedes cars. Only Max Verstappen is fighting for the Red Bull team, while Yuki Tsunoda is still on the learning curve.
If Max feels enough, he may switch to Mercedes or Aston Martin, and Red Bull would be left alone. Signing George Russell will give them a big boost, and with the new 2026 regulations, they may develop a new car with inputs from Russell. It’s still a rumour until it is confirmed.
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