Russell rules out seat alongside Verstappen: "I'm a Mercedes man"
F1 News
- GPblog.com
George Russell has been on everyone's mind since last season. After his great debut for Mercedes in Bahrain, when he replaced Lewis Hamilton, and his good qualifying run for Williams, the rumour mill about the successor of Valtteri Bottas at Mercedes keeps spinning.
Mercedes man
In conversation with the German RTL Russell himself is asked once again where he thinks he will drive next season: "I will definitely drive a car with a Mercedes engine, that's for sure. I'm a loyal Mercedes man. Mercedes is my car, my brand. So without a doubt it will be a Mercedes engine next season. What colour the car will be, I don't know yet," he states politically correct.
Red Bull excluded
The young Englishman has at least quashed rumours of a possible move to Red Bull: "There's no chance I'll be driving for Red Bull next year. As I said before, I'm a Mercedes driver. Mercedes has been by my side my whole career. Mercedes has given me a lot of opportunities as a young driver. Of course it's nice to get positive feedback from the Formula One world or to hear of interest from other teams, but my loyalty lies solely with Mercedes."
In any case, Russell seems to be giving the impression that all will be well, something that undoubtedly only provides more grist for the rumour mill. When does he expect a definitive answer? "The race at Spa would be the earliest possible moment, but certainly not before. Something like that just takes time. And we have to decide at the right time and that hasn't come yet."