No Mercedes for Verstappen: the German outfit keeps Russell

For Max Verstappen, this means there is one less option on the table should he wish to leave Red Bull Racing. If the Dutchman were to leave Red Bull and want to go to Mercedes, it would have to come at the expense of the current championship leader, Kimi Antonelli. That currently seems unrealistic.

An Italian newspaper reported earlier this Thursday that Mercedes had exercised an option in Russell's contract. GPblog understands that this is incorrect, and as a result, there will also be no announcement. For Mercedes, this is not necessary either, as Russell has a multi-year deal.

Russell indicated earlier this season that there were a number of clauses involved, but that they were so easy to achieve that this posed no problem for his future. Mercedes has spoken about a multi-year deal with both Russell and Antonelli from day one.

With that, the door seems closed for Verstappen. The Dutchman maintained a good relationship with Toto Wolff in recent years and also spoke several times about a possible collaboration. So, that will not happen in 2027, unless Mercedes parts ways with Antonelli, who is currently leading the F1 World Championship as the youngest driver ever.

Russell is currently in his eighth season in Formula 1. The Briton made his debut in 2019, competing for Williams. Over the course of three years, he ultimately impressed Wolff enough to make the move to Mercedes. It was unfortunate for Russell that he only joined in 2022, just after Mercedes' dominant era.

Russell started at Mercedes alongside Lewis Hamilton, but from day one proved he was in no way inferior to his teammate with seven world titles to his name. When Hamilton moved to Ferrari in 2025, Russell was put forward as the new team leader for Mercedes. A role he embraced well, as he was significantly better than teammate Kimi Antonelli that year.

In 2026, the dynamics are different. Mercedes has the best car in Formula 1, and Russell started the season strongly with pole position and a victory in Australia. After that, the Briton did not win another race, while Antonelli claimed five in a row

Russell is currently third in the drivers' standings, sitting 50 points behind Antonelli. He could cut the gap to his young teammate at the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix by 18 points, after the Italian experienced a car issue and had to retire from the race during the final laps.