George Russell tells Max Verstappen he can't win if F1 champion joins Mercedes

George Russell has warned Max Verstappen that going up against him at Mercedes would be "a lose-lose situation" for the Dutchman. Verstappen was strongly linked with Mercedes this year before he opted to stick with Red Bull for 2026.

But the four-time Formula 1 champion's agent has said publicly he will consider his options next year if the team is not winning. And Toto Wolff is sure to revive his interest, raising the mouth-watering prospect of Verstappen being paired with rival Russell at Mercedes.

"I would relish going up against him - we all believe we are the best, I don't see why he wouldn't," the Brit told The Telegraph. "Max is an incredible driver, there's no denying that. [But] it's obviously more of a lose-lose situation for him.

"The same as when I was team-mates with Lewis [Hamilton]. If he beat me, he was expected to, but if he lost to me, it's seen as a big loss. It's the same with me and Kimi [Antonelli] now. But we're getting well ahead of ourselves here."

Russell and Verstappen were born less than six months apart and have known each other for most of their lives, having competed against one another in karting. But the public relationship between them has often been fractious, the two having engaged in several high-profile spats.

Two years ago in Baku, Verstappen waited in parc ferme after a Sprint race to confront Russell over an on-track clash, which ended with him calling the Brit a "d***head". And then in Abu Dhabi last year, Verstappen called Russell a "loser" and accused the Mercedes driver of having lied to the stewards in Qatar the previous weekend to try to get him penalised.

In response, Russell spent an entire planned session with written media lambasting the Dutchman, labelling him a "bully" and insisting he would not lie down and take it. While the Brit admits the two will likely never be the best of friends, he believes they could co-exist as team-mates.

He said: "We're fine, we just say hello to each other. We don't really speak, but we don't ignore each other. I don't lose sleep over it and, for sure, he doesn't lose sleep over it. So it doesn't bother me one single bit. Life is short. We're all adults, we all learn from these experiences.

"You don't need to be best mates as team-mates. [Ayrton] Senna and [Alain] Prost weren't good friends, and they still finished one-two. Lewis and Nico [Rosberg], one-two. Obviously, Lewis and Fernando [Alonso, in 2007] is a notable exception. But Lewis should have won that year."

Russell signed a Mercedes contract extension, believed to be a multi-year deal, earlier this month. Antonelli also penned a new deal for 2026 but his situation is understood to be more complicated, as his relationship with the Silver Arrows is different to that of his team-mate.