Russell not ruling out driving for Red Bull Racing in 2022
F1 News
- GPblog.com
With the race at Silverstone just around the corner, the rumour mill will be revving up again more than ever before. Will it be announced this weekend that George Russell will be the new successor of Valtteri Bottas at Mercedes next season? To add insult to injury Russell is putting pressure on Mercedes. Because what does he reveal? Maybe Red Bull Racing is an option.
Russell to Red Bull?
Although a seat at Mercedes is still the preferred choice for the 23-year-old Briton, it seems he wants to get clarity quickly for 2022. In the F1 Nations Podcast, he says he wouldn't say no to an exploratory meeting with Red Bull Racing: "I always try to keep every relationship open. I'm not someone who likes to slam doors. If someone invited me for a chat, I wouldn't say no. You never know what will happen in the future."
Helmut Marko previously indicated that contracting Russell was an option for him: "Russell is definitely worth considering with the performance he is showing now at Williams," the Red Bull motorsport consultant said in an interview with Motorsport-Total.com. As Sergio Perez has also yet to receive a contract extension, this is, therefore, as strange as it sounds, still a very real option.
"Them" or "us"
In any case, George Russell himself says that in terms of announcements, we shouldn't expect anything during the weekend at Silverstone: "Nothing has been decided yet and nothing will be announced." However, it seems that the Briton is not waiting for another season of Williams, judging by the fact that he already addresses the team with "them" instead of "us" when it comes to next year: "When such a big rule change is coming, everything in the sport can change abruptly. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for Williams that it will be a positive change for them."