George Russell explained that Max Verstappen didn’t share the same grievances as his rivals about the latest generation of Formula 1 cars because he was consistently winning, but the Mercedes driver also said he can fully appreciate why the four‑time world champion might be thinking about stepping away from the sport. Verstappen’s future beyond the current season remains unclear.
The Red Bull driver has been an outspoken critic of the new 2026 technical regulations, particularly the 50‑50 split between internal‑combustion power and electric energy, and he has repeatedly voiced concerns about how the hybrid formula has altered the feel of the car on track. After the Japanese Grand Prix last month, the Dutchman hinted more strongly than ever that he could be considering retirement after this year.
During a Mercedes media day held during the five‑week summer break, Russell was asked whether he believed Verstappen might actually leave Formula 1 and how the sport would manage such a loss. "Formula 1 is bigger than any one driver," Russell answered. "You wouldn’t want to lose Max because we all love racing against him." He went on to compare his own experience with the 2022 car to Verstappen’s.
"I didn’t enjoy driving the ’22 car when it was porpoising up and down, killing everybody’s backs. The car was heavy, the high‑speed corners were brutal and it wasn’t pleasant to drive," Russell said. "Max didn’t have that complaint because he was winning all the time." Russell noted that Verstappen’s current criticisms differ from those raised by Mercedes, Ferrari and McLaren. "We’re at the front end of the grid, so his complaints are natural and you can recognise the frustration," he said.
"But he has already achieved what most drivers dream of – four world championships. At some point you reach a stage where there isn’t much left to achieve in F1.
He’s ticked all the boxes; the next step might be chasing records rather than titles." The Mercedes driver, who is chasing his first drivers’ title this year, said he completely understands why Verstappen is spending time in GT‑3 endurance racing at Germany’s legendary Nürburgring Nordschleife, a circuit he will return to this weekend. "Knowing Max and other drivers who have won everything, at some point you want to do what makes you smile," Russell explained. "Driving the Nordschleife puts a huge grin on his face.
I’ve logged hundreds of simulator laps there and would love a chance to race on the real track." Russell contrasted his own ambition with Verstappen’s. "My goal right now is to become a Formula 1 world champion. If I ever had four titles, I’d probably be looking at the same things Max is doing now.
He’s in a very different stage of his career," he said. "You’d understand if he stayed, and you’d also understand if he left." Verstappen himself said after the Suzuka race that he can accept finishing in P7 or P8, but when a driver is stuck in those positions without enjoying the car’s performance, it feels unnatural. While Red Bull are unlikely to fight for the championship this year, Mercedes have cemented themselves as early‑season favourites by winning the first three Grands Prix under the new regulations.
The enforced April break gave every team time to work on their cars back at the factories. Russell, who lost the lead in the drivers’ standings to his teammate Kimi Antonelli in Japan, does not expect a dramatic reshuffle when the championship resumes in Miami, but he recognises that Mercedes’ early advantage cannot last forever with nineteen races still to run.
Reflecting on the opening rounds, during which Mercedes secured one win and Antonelli took two, Russell said, "We definitely hit the ground running in the first three races. You could see that the factory teams – us and Ferrari – have a better grasp of energy management than the customer teams. That’s only fair because we have hundreds of engineers working on it, and we’ve been developing the simulator for three years now." He added, "The big gaps we saw in Melbourne have already narrowed, and everyone will keep learning race by race.
The field will slowly bunch up, but I don’t think we’ll see any sudden, drastic changes. Our pace advantage won’t continue indefinitely – the others will be right on our heels." At present Antonelli leads Russell by nine points at the top of the drivers’ championship, with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc 23 points further back in third. The season will pick up again on May 1‑3 with the Miami Grand Prix, which also marks the second Sprint weekend of the year, and will be broadcast live on Sky Sports F1.
The upcoming races will test whether Mercedes can maintain its early dominance and whether Verstappen will indeed choose to step away from Formula 1 after a historic career.