Russell insists ‘my seat never felt under threat’ during links between Verstappen and Mercedes

George Russell has declared that his seat at Mercedes “never felt under threat” despite speculation that Max Verstappen was a target for Team Principal Toto Wolff, which has come to an end now that he has signed a long-term contract with Red Bull.

The Briton is in the midst of his best chance to challenge for the Drivers’ Championship since he joined Mercedes in 2022, and while the details of his own multi-year deal are not public, it’s understood that he will remain there next season.

Despite links to both the Silver Arrows and McLaren, Verstappen became the latest driver to confirm his future plans as he committed to staying at Red Bull until the end of 2030.

Asked ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix whether the rumours had been a source of irritation, Russell replied: “It was always very clear from within Mercedes what the reality was over these past couple of years.

“Maybe those conversations were slightly more public than the conversations his team had with the likes of McLaren or Ferrari or whoever else it may have been.

“That's just the nature of the sport. Drivers talk with different teams, teams talk with different drivers. Everyone has to just see what their cards are. My seat never felt under threat, and I felt 100% security with Toto and the team and that obviously now continues.”

Wolff confirmed earlier in the year that his team “don’t want to change” their driver line-up of Russell and Kimi Antonelli, who currently leads the standings with a 59-point advantage over his team mate.

With Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton splitting the pair, Russell is keen to shake off the issues that have prevented him from maximising each weekend – like reliability struggles and a lack of pace relative to Antonelli – and recover some lost ground.

“I think every race weekend now is going to be very important and you want to build that momentum,” he added. “Obviously, we've got a number of triple headers coming into the last part of the year. We're only just at the halfway point. So, yeah, just continue to keep working.

“There was a good phase in the middle of the first half, and then the last three races were tough for different reasons. Just looking forward to starting again and trying to get back into a good groove.

“I know I need to improve the performance if I want to be in the fight. That's the main priority and if the performance improves and the points produce, it's as simple as that really.

“I don't want to overthink it too much – I just want to trust in my ability and drive a little bit more instinctively. Maybe that's what I hadn't been doing before the break. Just going to go in with an open mind and see where it takes me.”