Russell supports Wolff’s desire to hire Verstappen for the Mercedes F1 team.

In the closed park of the Bahrain Grand Prix classification, Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc, and George Russell were seen together. Verstappen’s current team, Red Bull, has a contract with him until 2028, but Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has publicly expressed his desire to have Verstappen on his team in Formula 1 starting in 2025. Despite Mercedes currently trailing Red Bull by a significant 175-point difference, Wolff believes there are other factors that could convince Verstappen to make the switch. One of these factors could be the upcoming rule reset in 2026, as Red Bull’s renowned designer, Adrian Newey, will leave the team in early 2025. Russell, who has competed against Hamilton in the last three seasons, supports the idea of Verstappen joining Mercedes and wants to face the best with the same equipment. He believes that a change could be a fresh start for both parties and is looking forward to seeing what the future holds.