George Russell would be happy to go up against Max Verstappen in the same car.
Red Bull has signed the three-time world champion driver until 2028. But because of all the controversy surrounding the team at present, a gap has developed between Jos Verstappen and team principal Christian Horner.
The team’s future would be in danger if Horner stayed in regard to unity, according to Verstappen Sr.
Because of this, some have speculated that Max Verstappen may try to get out of his contract early. The defending champion is a natural choice to replace Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes next year.
According to Russell, he would relish the challenge if Mercedes signed Verstappen. “I think any team want to have the best driver line-up possible and right now Max is the best driver on the grid,” he said.
“So if any team had a chance to sign Max they’ll 100% be taking it. I think the question is more on the other side, on his side and on Red Bull’s side, obviously so much going on there, we don’t know truly what’s going on behind closed doors and ultimately it’s none of our business right now. But it would be exciting.”
He said that his performance against Hamilton since the beginning of 2022 demonstrated his ability to challenge Verstappen.
“This is my third season now alongside Lewis, 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, welcome a challenge. You would want to go against the best.
“But ultimately for me, just focus on myself. I believe in myself. I believe I can beat anybody on the grid. You’ve just got to have that mentality. So having Lewis as my benchmark the last couple of years, it’s been a pretty good benchmark for sure.”
