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Mercedes makes firm declaration over Russell's future amid recent Aston Martin rumors

12:11, 07 Jun

byTobia Elia

Bradley Lord has clarified George Russell's future with Mercedes in light of recent rumors suggesting the British driver could join Aston Martin in 2026.

Although we haven’t officially entered the so-called “silly season” yet, in Formula 1 it’s already time to talk about the grid for the 2026 season, the year when new technical regulations are set to radically reshape the cars.

While the debate over Max Verstappen’s future continues to dominate the headlines at Red Bull, questions also remain at Mercedes about what lies ahead for George Russell, one of the few drivers whose contract expires at the end of 2025.

In recent hours, there has been talk of a possible renewed interest from Aston Martin, as the team had already sounded out the British driver last year, though ultimately stopped short of making a serious move.

However, despite the rumors and an approaching contract expiry, Mercedes appears to have a clear vision for the future of its driver.

Mercedes has no rush over Russell's future

''We’re under no rush'', Mercedes chief of communications Bradley Lord said to Sky Sports in Monaco.

“We manage George’s career, as well as being the team that he drives for at the moment, but we know there’s no pressure. He’s fully focused on, how do we perform in this triple header? How do we keep the car moving forward?''

“Then at the right time, he and Toto will sit down and, as they always say, it doesn’t take terribly long to thrash these things out. That hasn’t happened yet, but certainly will in the, you know, weeks and months ahead.”

It also remains to be seen how the next moves in the driver market will unfold, with the team led by Lawrence Stroll still entertaining the idea of prying Verstappen away from Milton Keynes, in addition to their interest in Russell.