George Russell has suggested his contract renewal talks with Mercedes are being held up because the team are still keen to sign Formula One champion Max Verstappen.

George Russell has been one of the top performers in 2025, consistently delivering strong results in the W16. Despite Mercedes lacking the raw pace to challenge McLaren, the British driver regularly finds himself fighting in the podium positions.

In-form George Russell dismissed talk of a special spiky rivalry with four-time champion Max Verstappen as fictional on Thursday as he began preparations for this weekend's Austrian Grand Prix. Verstappen had been put in this position when he drove into Russell's Mercedes at the Spanish Grand Prix,