Rumors about Max Verstappen considering a switch to Mercedes have been making the headlines ever since Max’s father Jos was spotted with Toto Wolff in Bahrain. Reaching every corner of the F1 community, more personalities are sharing their opinion on this. This does not exclude the potential new teammate George Russell. Toto Wolff’s comment, “Anything is possible” when asked everyone about a potential move for the 3-time world champion added fuel to the fire. Now, Russell’s comments have swelled the fire further.

The 26-year-old Mercedes driver was asked about the possible transfer next year, and to this he said, “Every team wants the best possible line-up and Max is the best driver at the moment. I would welcome anyone and believe I can beat anyone.”

With this, Russell leaves fans all the more curious about the possibility of this happening, just as Toto Wolff has. And then this brings up the question: how would George Russell feel driving alongside Max Verstappen?

George Russell’s take on driving with the current world champion

Max Verstappen and George Russell got into a small tiff during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in 2023, where the world champion blamed the Mercedes driver for a contact between the two. But this was soon forgotten and ignored over the season. With the rumors of them being teammates, the 26-year-old Briton spoke about his experience driving with Lewis Hamilton. Explaining that dynamic he said, “As I said last week in Bahrain, this is my third season now alongside Lewis, the greatest driver of all time, and I feel like I’ve done a pretty good job alongside him.”

“So whoever were to line up alongside me next year or the years to come, I welcome anybody and welcome the challenge,” continued the former Williams driver. He explained that in this race, “You always want to go against the best but, ultimately for me, I just focus on myself. I believe in myself.” Being the leading Mercedes at the Bahrain GP, George Russell said, “I believe I can beat anybody on the grid. You’ve just got to have that mentality.” 

Russell talks about the impact of driving beside Hamilton, saying, “Having Lewis as my benchmark for the last couple of years has been a pretty good benchmark for sure.” With that said, it’s clear that George Russell has a lot of experience driving alongside world champions. He is also a strong contender to contest Max Verstappen’s world champion streak as soon as Mercedes finds its mojo that it lost after the 2020 season. That being said, do you think Max Verstappen will move to Mercedes in 2025? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.