Jun.26 (GMM) George Russell has all but confirmed he will remain at Mercedes next year, in a development that appears to end long-running speculation linking Max Verstappen with the Brackley team.
Corriere della Sera reported that an option in Russell’s contract had been activated by both parties, with an official announcement expected soon.
The Briton effectively confirmed the report himself on Thursday at the Red Bull Ring.
“There will be no announcement, but I will be racing here next year, 100 percent,” Russell said.
The confirmation appears to shut the door on Verstappen joining Mercedes for 2027 after months of speculation, despite recent reports of renewed talks between the Dutchman’s camp and Toto Wolff.
Russell, meanwhile, admitted Barcelona served as “a reality check” after Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari victory.
“We’ve brought one upgrade this season so far. We’ve got some in the pipeline, but Ferrari and McLaren, every couple of races, are bringing bits to the car.
“We need to keep on pushing.”
Asked if Mercedes should be introducing updates more aggressively, Russell replied: “It’s very challenging these days with the cost cap.
“Maybe they’ve got a slightly different approach and they’re saving money elsewhere and spending more on the upgrades.
“It’s a compromise and, at the end of the day, we’re still the team to beat.”
Championship leader Kimi Antonelli confirmed Mercedes has also changed its approach to team orders following Barcelona, where Toto Wolff admitted allowing the two drivers to race each other may have cost victory.
“We had a meeting about it and Toto was very clear,” Antonelli said.
“If we find ourselves in a situation like Barcelona, under pressure from our rivals, there will be team orders, especially if one of the two cars shows better pace.
“However, if we find ourselves competing against each other without pressure from another team, we can race freely, as happened in Montreal.”
Mercedes is also introducing a revised battery package in Austria following recent reliability failures.
“We’re bringing a new battery pack with updates to Austria to resolve the issue,” Antonelli explained.
“We hope it’ll be enough to fix things. A solution needed to be found quickly.”
He stressed the changes are aimed at reliability rather than outright speed.
“It’s not an update to increase our performance,” said the championship leader. “I think there’s something on the hardware level too, but it’s just an update for reliability.”
Meanwhile, Mercedes has reportedly been told by the FIA to modify its controversial new diffuser after Ferrari sought clarification over the design.
According to reports in Italy and Germany, the FIA will issue a technical clarification requiring minor changes to the floor, although Mercedes is not expecting any significant performance impact.