Photo: Race Pictures

George Russell desperate to fight against Max Verstappen again in 2026

14:00, 04 Feb

Updated: 14:03, 04 Feb

byOwen Bradley

George Russell has addressed a potential title battle with F1 rival, Max Verstappen.

"I'd love for it to turn out that way. I do want to go head-to-head with Max and obviously, Lando had a great season last year."

- George Russell

Russell and Verstappen have had a tough rivalry in recent seasons, with the pair coming to blows at the 2025 Spanish Grand Prix in particular, where Verstappen deliberately drove into the side of Russell at Turn 5.

The Dutchman then went on to fight against both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri in the championship, ultimately losing out to Norris by just two points. However, coming into 2026, Mercedes look like they could have a car capable of challenging for race victories, especially after the Barcelona shakedown, where Mercedes ran their car every day, and were often on the pace of other cars, or leading the way.

With the prospect of a potential fight between Russell and Verstappen on the table, the Brit was asked about their rivalry and what to expect, if the pair are both challenging one another for the title in 2026.

Photo: Mercedes-AMG F1 Team

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Russell stated: "I'd love for it to turn out that way. I do want to go head-to-head with Max and obviously, Lando had a great season last year. I think probably the fans and people are expecting it to potentially be Mercedes versus McLaren because there was a lot of anticipation that Mercedes would clearly have the best power unit, but it seems like the other power unit manufacturers have done a good job."

He continued: "We know that Red Bull have always had an amazing car, even through the dominance of Mercedes. It was their engine that was letting them down, not their car and we obviously know how good Max is. I think he is very much going to be in the fight this year. That is great, you obviously wish that you'd have a slightly easier time of it, but it should never be easy."

Should Mercedes start the year off strong, Russell may find himself in a potential championship battle, and Mercedes may also be able to surpass Ferrari for most victories as an engine supplier and manufacturer.