George Russell 'wants to be F1 team-mates' with Max Verstappen

Verstappen and Russell at Mercedes — Photo: © IMAGO

George Russell

George Russell 'wants to be team-mates' with Max Verstappen

A classic enemies to team-mates trope

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Saturday 27 December 2025 11:52

George Russell is ready to go up against four-time F1 world champion Max Verstappen as team-mates.

In an era of F1 where everyone has 'respect', or plays padel with each other, Verstappen and Russell's feud came as a breath of fresh air for any drama lovers in the fanbase.

Their feud really ignited at the 2024 Qatar Grand Prix, where accusations like 'two faced' were bandied about, and once again in Barcelona where Verstappen purposefully slammed into the side of Russell.

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Coupled with Toto Wolff actively pursuing Verstappen for a seat at Mercedes, the rivalry between the Brit and the Dutchman, although dormant, always feels as if it could bubble over.

Russell wants to fight alongside Verstappen

Reflecting on his 2025 season – collecting two race wins and nine podiums – Russell revealed to the media he is ready to mix it with the drivers at the top and would welcome Verstappen as his team-mate.

“Definitely my most solid in terms of performance – most consistent, least mistakes. So yeah, on the whole, it has been," he said.

“I definitely know I can – I can mix it with those guys at the top. Max [Verstappen] is obviously the gold standard at the moment. He's the one that I'd want to go head to head with, and I think he's the only one that people would question. He's the only driver on the grid that you'd want to be team-mates with to see your competitiveness with.”

If Mercedes do emerge as a competitive force in 2026, and Red Bull slip down the order, then Russell and Verstappen could very much still find themselves as team-mates for 2027.

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F1 Red Bull Max Verstappen Mercedes George Russell