Red Bull senior advisor Helmut Marko has dismissed George Russell‘s claims of Mercedes’ ongoing talks with Max Verstappen. Russell hinted that Mercedes’ interest in the four-time world champion was standing in the way of his contract extension.
Russell’s current Mercedes deal expires at the end of the 2025 season, and both parties are yet to sign a contract extension. Russell proved his impressive racing abilities whenever he was given a fast car, with the most recent example being his Canadian Grand Prix victory.
However, the delay in extending his contract has raised many questions. Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff acknowledged Russell’s talent but didn’t shy away from suggesting that he was talking to Verstappen.
Newsweek Sports reported Russell’s comments about his contract extension, saying:
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“No major updates yet. It’s not something that I’m pressing massively because, as I’ve always said, the performance is the priority, and I feel with the performance I’m showing at the moment – still in line with the performance I’ve shown over all these years – I’ve got zero reasons to be worried.
“But obviously, it does help if there was pen on paper. But let’s see.”
He added:
“From my side, I don’t think I have anything really to worry about. I think, as a team, it depends where you put your aspirations.
“We’re second best at the moment, maybe third best. We might be overperforming slightly to be second best.
“As Mercedes, they want to be back on top, and if you’re going to be back on top you need to make sure you’ve got the best drivers, the best engineers, the best pit crew, and that’s what Mercedes are chasing.
“So, it’s only normal that conversations with the likes of Verstappen are ongoing. But from my side, if I’m performing as I’m doing, what have I got to be concerned about? There are two seats in every Formula 1 team.”
Marko, however, refused to believe Russell, bluntly stating that Red Bull can’t take his statements seriously. He said:
“What’s up with him now? Russell does talk, but I thought he had a contract for next year. That must have changed since Montreal. So that victory actually damaged him.
“We can’t actually take this seriously. Russell just talks too much.”
In another interview, Marko was asked about the rumors surrounding Mercedes’ interest in Verstappen. He responded, saying:
“We won’t go into that, because Max will stay at Red Bull next year.”
He added:
“Toto wants to win. And he knows full well that if he has a Max Verstappen, his chances are better.”