Mercedes is looking for someone to replace Lewis Hamilton, who will be joining Ferrari next year.
Toto Wolff, the boss of Mercedes, has said he’d like to have Max Verstappen join the team. But Red Bull’s Oliver Mintzlaff criticized Wolff, saying it wasn’t respectful to talk about Verstappen like that.
Verstappen has a contract with Red Bull until 2028, but there’s been talk about his future because of issues at Red Bull, like Adrian Newey leaving in 2025.
Even though Verstappen moving to Mercedes soon seems unlikely, George Russell, a Mercedes driver, says he’d be up for the challenge of racing against Verstappen.
“I’d be all for it,” said Russell. “You know, coming into Mercedes in 2022 off the back of Lewis’s legendary years and victories, that was a huge task for anybody jumping into a team where he’s been for so long.”
Russell thinks racing against the best drivers in the same car is important to prove yourself. He’s been teammates with Hamilton for three years and thinks it’s made him a better driver.
He said, “He’s been a hell of a teammate, such a great driver. And we push each other every single week and I think it’s fair to say that, so I will welcome Max, I want to go up against the best. Everybody wants to prove what they’ve got, so make it happen.”
Talking about Newey leaving Red Bull, Russell said, “He’s somebody who I respect. He is a legend in his own right with everything that he’s achieved in the sport.”
“It doesn’t change our life – unless there’s a secret and he is coming to Mercedes, who knows?”
Russell thinks change can be good for everyone sometimes. He mentioned how both Newey and Hamilton had been with their teams for a long time and said, “Sometimes people need to change, a change is a fresh start for both parties and it will be interesting to see what happens next.”
