Russell leaves no room for doubt: 'I'll be racing here next year, 100%'

Earlier on Thursday, reports emerged in the Italian media claiming Mercedes had activated an option in Russell's contract. GPblog, however, understands that this is not the case, meaning no official announcement is expected. As reported by the Daily Mail ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix weekend, Russell dismissed any uncertainty surrounding his future, insisting he will still be racing for Mercedes in 2027 and stressing that the matter has never been in doubt internally.

Mercedes is now set to begin next season with the same driver pairing it has relied on for the past two years. After an up-and-down rookie campaign, Kimi Antonelli has emphatically silenced his critics with a sensational second season so far, showing remarkable progress throughout the year and emerging as a solid championship leader despite his retirement in Barcelona.

Russell, meanwhile, has fallen slightly short of the lofty expectations that followed his impressive 2025 campaign, which had seen many tip him as the favourite for this year's title. Even so, with only a third of the season completed, he remains firmly in the fight. As Verstappen proved last year, nothing can be ruled out until the final race, especially with cars that are still in the early stages of development and have plenty of room for improvement.

Earlier on Thursday, the four-time world champion was asked whether the major upgrade package being introduced on the RB22 this weekend, together with the results over the next few races, could play a decisive role in shaping his Formula 1 future. However, speaking to GPblog, Verstappen shifted the focus back to Red Bull's performance, insisting the team's priority is simply to make the car faster. He acknowledged that the team is still lacking pace and stressed that nobody is satisfied with competing further down the order, adding that everyone is fully focused on getting Red Bull back to the front.