George Russell puts an end to rumours: “I’ll still be here next year”

It is a persistent rumour that continues to circulate in the paddock of the premier class and is repeatedly fuelled by Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff, who makes no secret of his desire to bring Max Verstappen on board: Time and again, the four-time champion from the Red Bull Racing team has been linked with a move to the works team based in Brackley and Brixworth.

However, the rumourmongers agree that it is not the super-talented championship leader Kimi Antonelli who would have to vacate his seat, but rather the experienced George Russell – who has, however, put a temporary stop to the speculation in the paddock at the Red Bull Ring. The 28-year-old, who has secured six Grand Prix victories in 159 Grand Prix starts, made it clear that he will still be racing for the brand with the star in 2027.

Speaking to *The Independent*, the current third-placed driver in the World Championship emphasised: “There won’t be any official confirmation this weekend.” At the same time, however, he also stressed: “But I’ll still be here next year – one hundred per cent.” He admitted that this had not yet been discussed with the Austrian team principal.

“But we don’t need to discuss that,” Russell added defiantly. “There’s no question mark over it, and I don’t want to go into too much detail. But it’s a fact that I’ll be driving here next year too,” added the ambitious Briton.

At the most recent Grand Prix at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Russell celebrated finishing in second place. However, in the closing stages of the race, he benefited from the retirement of his strong team-mate, who had overtaken him just before his forced stop. Russell’s gap to the leader in the World Championship standings was reduced to 50 points due to the teenager’s technical mishap (his power unit’s battery failed).

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