The key free agent in F1's 2026 driver market
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- Опубликовано: 6 фев 2025
- In this segment from The Race F1 podcast predicting the outcomes in F1's 2026 driver market, Edd Straw, Scott Mitchell-Malm and Jon Noble discuss Mercedes and the pivotal role George Russell may have in deciding who goes where for next season.
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The funniest part of last season was Toto chasing Verstappen all year while completely ignoring George's existence, then immediately getting his feelings hurt when Horner commented that George's contract was up soon
Yeah that was just bizarre. In an ideal world George would tell him to get bent
Toto knowing full well that George is not actually the champion material Mercedes is looking for... he's a good driver, but isn't consistent enough. Every season he has some great to brilliant races, but also has a couple where he makes weird mistakes seemingly because of lack of concentration. Also George doesn't same to have that really killer instinct, that confidence champions seem to have. Of course sometimes those kind of drivers do win a championship... but it's not the same as the mentality of all the great names in F1 history. For that exact same reason I see Piastri becoming a champion at McLaren before Norris does if the team is willing to... Piastri does seem to have that confidence, Norris is amazing but he is his own biggest enemy.
I think what pissed him off was that Horner was basically just saying it to get under his skin.
So he just gave him what he wanted instead of ignoring it.
@@micglou he's in his first 3yrs of having a good teammate and a top 5 car. Not everyone is Lewis and comes out of the gate competing for a championship. Not to mention Mercedes complete incompetence as of late, I think with the car under him he'd put up more of a fight than Norris did in 24
@@klarkqentExcatly my point .
Jon Noble must be out of his mind if he thinks Redbull or Mercedes will ever pair Verstappen with Russel. Even Carlos Sainz was out of the question even though they never even came close to a fraction of the heat between Russel and Verstappen.
If Lawson underperforms and another team once again wins the CC they will have no choice but to get Russell. Especially with Max threatening to quit Redbull don’t have anything to lose.
In fact they are at significant risk if they don’t get Russell because all the other top drivers are locked in long term.
@@paperplane-db8qfRB never hires from another teams... they choices will be Tsunoda, Hadjar, Lindblad, Russell and Sainz are last option scenario.
yh Jon’s out of this mind
You are really suggesting there is long term bad blood between Verstappen and Russell? There is only long term bad blood between fans.
That 1 alpha driver routine has its place when the car is dominant. You put the best talent in both seats when you have the chasing mindset
George will likely end up renewing his contract sometime during 2025
Unless Antonelli beat him right away, unlikely, but not impossible.
@@RoyMatzemI'm puzzled, because a lot of people said that Verstappen would join mercedes.
@@pikebishop8516Maybe he will, but not now. 2027 probably.
@@RoyMatzem Find it unlikely that George who beat Lewis 2/3 seasons loses to Antonelli. Would take a few years imo
@@pikebishop8516 i doubt it, i feel like he would go to aston martin, regardless of a billion dollars or not. If honda dosen't make GP2 engines, it would be the most sensible team to go to for him. The car wouldn't be to disimilar to the redbull
bro the year just started
I wonder what happened last year around this time... hummm....
@@FabledGentlemanIt happened last year, because the grid was unchanged from end of 2023 to 2024. It's not gonna happen now because of the ridiculous amount of changes we had in 2024.
The truth is: Mercedes never had an underperforming driver. Its pairings were always a world champion + a second reliable driver. This year will be atypical. Mercedes is not Marko, but this sport can be ruthless...
Merc had a underperformed Hamilton in 2022 and 2024!
@@marcpaola1371Not necessarily in 2022 but last year Hamilton was struggling a lot
@patepulkkinenvtec2403 yes in 2022 he did.
@@patepulkkinenvtec2403 2024 was not a championship performance, but it was not that bad. HAM finished right behind RUS with only a 20 points gap... The closest gap among the top teams
@@marcpaola1371 No he didn't he had terrible luck when the car was starting to get good. Take brazil for example, he was in the position to win and would've had him and max not crashed. Ofc george capitalized on that just like austria this year as he should
Russell isn't a key player in 2026. Verstappen has to make his move, and then he becomes a key player. Like in 2024 when Hamilton decided to leave, and he started the driver market choas and Sainz became a key player
Stop hating on Russell. If he leaves Mercedes - there’s a WDC caliber driver who beat a 7 time WDC 2/3 seasons in the market. And there’s a seat at Mercedes.
So it’s huge. No one cares about Sainz and he wasn’t a key player in anything.
Key word is free agent. Max is under contract for 2026, so he's not a free agent.
@paperplane-db8qf Sainz was a huge player in the driver market this last season, but so much of it was haulted due to Red Bull and Perez. Sainz was the biggest name and most successful in the driver market that anyone would've loved to have.
@@paperplane-db8qfhe isnt a key player when he hits free agency. He is good but not great or a proven WDC caliber driver. He did beat Lewis twice, but Lewis is overrated. Prime Lewis wasnt as talentfull or had the racecraft as Max. Russell is good but not great, he wont be a keyplayer. Reason why they call him a keyplayer is because he is in a team who are capable of winning championships, thats it
@@greatscot04So was Lewis under contract. We all know how that went. If Lewis had an exit clause in his contract for Mercedes, you can be damn well sure Max has one for Red Bull
Lets speculate a year in advance with no basis of facts? This type of talk is reserved for mid season where you know if drivers are doing well or doing crap. Then you can work out the permutations of where drivers go, leave, or new ones coming. Take time off and come back during car reveal and F1 testing.
I agree. These guys are trying hard to release a video about every useless shit they see.
This is the benchmark of modern journalism; fiction!
They cannot just go away like that, do you see motorsports websites closing down during the whole offseason? Besides, look at the great numbers their videos are getting. That's how you pay wages.
Thank you for all content during the off season. I’m on holiday and you’re providing me with a much needed shot of F1
hopefully liam lawson beats kimi antinelli
Aaldert
Even the thought of Russell paired with Max, when RB didnt seriously consider Sainz is ludicrous.
Am I the only person who thinks Liam Lawson is overrated?
He’s unproven, sure… but the small sample size we’ve seen in f1 has been real quality and mature driving IMO
Russel is like Leclerc. Enough raw speed. But also a little bit to much crashes on the wrong moment.
I think they have both grown recently. How many mistakes did they make in the second half of the season? They both put in some great drives.
Both are imo arguably top 5 drivers on the grid rn, Charles easily clears Russell with his qualifying ability, but Russell edges out on his strategy calls (and Merc not being Ferrari).
his last big mistake in a race was in australia 2024 like how can people literally watch what he did in Vegas and Belgium and still say he makes too many mistakes
yea the crashes in cota and mexico were bad but lewis dnf’d in cota at the same corner russell crashed at that merc was not a predictable car and lewis and russell had been complaining about how inconsistent the car is since 2022
Charles is not crash-prone, we're not living in 2022/early 2023 anymore. George has made improvements as well.
Comparing George Russell to Charles Leclerc is an insult
Antoneli is Mercedes next nightmare
You can tell the guys at The Race are struggling to talk about anything until the car reveals in a couple of weeks
Well said
The key question is why he is considered as free agent at all. There were some key points for Merc renew his contract in advance: right after Lewis announced he was leaving, during 2025 line up announcement in Italy, this winter similar to Charles’ last year. Nothing of that happened. And now (publicly) it looks more and more likely that Merc themselves are not interested that much in him, waiting for a better option.
I really rate George, but it's difficult to say how consistent his performances have been.
I mean, based on his Williams days, and consistently out-qualifying Hamilton, it would be reasonable to say that his Saturday performance is consistent.
But the Sunday performances? 😬 He's good, and a winner. But will he show that he can secure those wins when the car is second best on the grid? I don't think we have seen that yet.
I'm sick of this narrative that Mercedes would kick out Russell instead of Antonelli. The kid hasn't done a race yet, it would be too risky to trust him over Russell at this stage. After the season if he impresses, it becomes a different story.
Could legit see a swap for Sainz and Antonelli if it’s that bad. At least until Kimi develops more
@@98MTBiker Mercedes will keep this lineup for a while
And that is basically what they said in the video
@@DeathBlocks It's part of their podcast where 2/3 of them say Mercedes have invested too much in Antonelli to let him go. As if they haven't invested in the development of Russell.
@@98MTBiker Exactly. Except Russell actually delivered in his junior series career and Antonelli was no where near where Russell was.
Unless there's a 1-for-1 swap of George and Max, I think there's an approximately 0% chance of a change in the Merc lineup. Similarly, I don't think Max would entertain any other move for 2026 given McLaren and Ferrari aren't really options.
I know you guys have to upload something during off season too but it's just all ifs buts and maybes Annoying.
It's February guys.
Guess what happened on February 1st last year.. Goldfish memory much?
@FabledGentleman I said the same when that happened as well. Also that was news, this is speculation.
@ Speculation is part of the game. And these guys have contacts on the inside that feed them snippets of information as well. There are always strategies and talks, you have to, or you will be left in the cold. This is eat or be eaten.
@@FabledGentleman It only happened because of no change from 2023 to 2024. It's not gonna happen to the same extent because of the many changes in 2024.
Lets be honest - seasons not started yet. I doubt Max will go anywhere and if anything he's more likely to leave the sport to do something else then go drive a merc alongside russell.
Yeah I think that might be an option for him. This recent action of the FIA to reprimand drivers for how they speak might put his back up.
He could take a few years out and still come back at the top of his game.
Unless RB produce a stellar car for ‘25 (and even that might not make a difference) Max will be behind the wheel of an Aston Martin in ‘26. All the pieces are falling into place. The only logical scenario in my opinion but wtf do I know.
It's absolutely obvious to me - Honda, Newey Max and $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
I kinda see the present Mercedes in a 2015-2018 Red Bull like situation. The world champion left the team (Ham), a promising protege is in place to lead the team (Rus), paired with a super talented newbie (Kimi). I think this driver line-up would remain until around 2028, and when Kimi actually starts to perform better than Rus, he would leave the team like Ric did (I hope this doesn't happen, especially after seeing how it ended up for Ric).
Except Antonelli is nowhere near Verstappen
"...leave Toto with a hole to fill" whoa
"...Christian would love nothing better" WHOA
Bro found things to take out of context 💀
As an american still reeling from the Luka Doncic trade, the timing of this topic seems very strategic The Race 🧐
finally i have seen the face behind this legendary commentary :)
I mean ..George and Max together will be a proper bull fight.
It would be, but won't happen.
@the_lost_navigator7266 🤣🤣
It will be very unfortunate for russell if he for some reason leaves mercedes at the end of the year and then they have a rocket engine in 2026 again
Not a chance RB goes for Russell for any reason other than to unsettle him / Mercedes relationship. Max wont allow someone as proven and quick as George in “his “ team
My thoughts exactly. 100% pipe dream at the bottom of a pipe on the other side of the planet
The only way Russell goes to RBR is if max leaves for Merc or aston
Russel is neither proven or quick.
@@CliffdeZoete 🤣 🤡
@@CliffdeZoete Russell is pretty quick. Beating Hamilton 2/3 years. out qualifying him total (Ham 29-39 RUS). And no "The car is slow we are just loosing time man" Bullshit.
If he was at redbull he would be quite the threat to Verstappen
Russell is probably better than Norris but many leagues below Verstappen.
If Verstappen is leaving, then there is no way Toto will not go for him. However, you didn't mention about Aston Martin. By that I mean what if they have a super competitive car? And to add, there is nothing that Lawrence Stroll will not do to get his man, If Newey can deliver that car, there is no doubt in my mind Verstappen will be Aston Martin bound. If that is the case, Russell will stay put at Mercedes. George will only go to two teams if Verstappen gets the Aston seat, Ferrari and McLaren. For Ferrari, too bad they screwed themselves by signing a 40 year old Hamilton, if not imagine how strong Ferrari's line-up could be having Charles and George as the pairing. As for McLaren, Piastri is contracted till the end of 2026 same as Norris.
Aston Martin won't have that super competitive car before 2026 which would make Max consider a move for 2027, incidentally when Alonso will be without a contract. By that time George will have extended his Mercedes contract so Red Bull would have to look elsewhere.
If Antonelli performs well, then Russell goes from number 1 over Lewis to potentially in danger given Mercedes would likely want Max than give Russell, who's pretty much shown his level, a new long-term deal.
The fact Russell doesn't already have a long-term renewal should worry him.
not sure about this idea here, Russell to Aston Martin after Fernando retires. Maybe Max is tempted by Toto in 2027 and the driver market heats up.
Russel: The Tire Whisperer
Russel with Verstappen let the war begin 😂🎉🎉
I can only see Russell getting dropped by Merc for Verstappen, and I don’t think Verstappen is going to Merc for 2026, maybe after then.
Russell preemptively walking would be interesting, especially if it was to Redbull alongside Verstappen as part of Redbull preemptively striking ahead of Verstappen leaving. But that seems VERY unlikely
I just don't see them replacing George after all the time and energy they have invested in him. He's quick and can win races. Antonelli is a giant question mark at this point and honestly could go either way.
the big question is: Is he yet a complete driver?? TBH I think he would have struggled to lead the team and run a creche for Kimi. Now BOT is back that might save him
Russell to redbull, verstappen to ferrari lewis to mercedes
Lewis is done with Mercedes
Nice😂😂
Redbull doesnt want russ. He's an egotistical liar and whiner
@@moStallion George would surely be one of the contenders for the Red Bull seat if Max decided to leave
Lando to go karts
The key player is Max Verstappen.
Despite the bad blood between Max+ Russell at the end of last year, given his age, Russell to Red Bull if Max leaves makes far more sense than 43 year old Alonso, although I think given Russell has been a Merc man for years he's probably staying, especially given he's the clear No.1 given Kimi Antonelli's youth.
This is just a clip from their podcast a few days ago, so if you watched that you can give this a miss...
Russell reminds me of Button. Given a great machine against some teams in transition or chaos he could snatch a title where he really shouldn’t be able. Mercedes will be hot at the start of the season and we could see a Russell/Norris battle to the end.
Still beat Lewis when they were teamates!
Doesn’t mean he’ll beat Lando or LeClerc but they all tend to make small mistakes under pressure so it would be an even fight. Leclerc could beat them both if Ferrari could fix their strategy mistakes and move their car forward. He’s clearly the best on the grid after Max.
Vasseur seems to be solving the strategy issues. But the flexi-wing tech should leave them and RBR struggling to bag wins until Spain. And realistically because McLaren and Mercedes already have a strong understanding of flexi-wings they can start now working on the changes necessary after Spain while Ferrari and RBR will have to work on both.
With RBR spending every dollar and minute on their engine program I wouldn’t be surprised if they kind of toss this season if they’re running third or lower and out of the driver’s title hunt by then. They could end up battling Aston for fourth.
Doesn’t mean he’ll beat Lando or LeClerc but they all tend to make small mistakes under pressure so it would be an even fight. Leclerc could beat them both if Ferrari could fix their strategy mistakes and move their car forward. He’s clearly the best on the grid after Max.
Vasseur seems to be solving the strategy issues. But the flexi-wing tech should leave them and RBR struggling to bag wins until Spain. And realistically because McLaren and Mercedes already have a strong understanding of flexi-wings they can start now working on the changes necessary after Spain while Ferrari and RBR will have to work on both.
With RBR spending every dollar and minute on their engine program I wouldn’t be surprised if they kind of toss this season if they’re running third or lower and out of the driver’s title hunt by then. They could end up battling Aston for fourth.
You guys are out of your minds about a George/ Max team up. Red bull didn't even approach Carlos because he might not get along with Max and he openly had beef with George.
If the potential of clashing with Sainz made redbull choose a rookie, no way they will put GR who Max has a even worse relationship with, is a non-starter
you're delusional if you think Antonelli is a championship contender
Well said
What are the odds of Russell feeling that Mercedes is giving preferential treatment to antonelli over him at any point this season and starts causing drama because of it?
I doubt it-Russell has been a Merc man for a long time at this point. He'll probably see himself as a mentor to Antonelli. He comes across as very 'professional' so not one to cause drama.
Every driver is a free agent if the price is right
Ricciado goes to redbull out drives a 4 time world champ, so vetel goes Ferrari being replaced with a rookie hotshot who ends up owning the team forcing ricciado out into oblivion. Russel comes in beats a 7 time world champ. Lewis moves to Ferrari and is replaced with a rookie hotshot... am i having dejavu?
The solution for Mercedes is to build the cricket car, the rest will take care of itself. George can win championships in the fastest car as can Lando, LeClerk and Vestappen.
Max with Russel in one team 🤨🧐
Like Micheal Schumacher in the 90's+ early 2000's, Max will not have a 'big name' teammate at Red Bull and that's fine. Red Bull are only going to go after a big name driver if Max leaves.
No change at merc. If Russel dips, then Bottas become Antonelli's #2 driver.
Max would never race is George. Max would rather race in a Haas then be forced into the same room with him
Max can displace any driver atm so yes Mercedes would definitely snub one of their drivers and it will probably be Russel unless antoneli underwhelms and even then he’ll probably be sent to Williams with sainz
Ngl I’d be rooting/lmao if Horner/RB just signs Russell just for the drama 😂
RedBull would never chase George after all that drama. Not with Max there.
Bold prediction: Lewis retires early and Russell goes to Ferrari, Sainz moves to Merc and Williams takes Doohan
I think Ferrari would get Sainz before Russel. Charles is better then George so be better for a number 2 next to Charles then someone who thinks he’s a number 1.
I bet Horner hates Russell really 😂
Russell joins Mercedes, Verstappen takes a year or 2 off to spend time with his baby, and do a couple of other series.
If if Verstappen went to Mercedes that needle between Red Bull and Russell will evaporate in nanoseconds. That said, Red Bull have not been particularly good in their driver market placements of late so they may miss this if Vestappen goes.
If Max leaves, who else can Red Bull take?
Russell getting emotional cause Verstappen has his seat if the RB is shite 😂
Let's be honest, 2024 was a fake show. If Max is available, Russell will be gone straight away.
LOL Redbull going through the same motions again. Hire the "next promising driver" then they dont perform and they get replaced half way through a season.
A George Max lineup is more Ralf-Montoya team up than Senna Prost or even Lewis Nico…
First the animosity between Verstappen and Russell would need to be resolved, before Russell could move to RB. The two loath eachother so I don't see that changing quickly. Or the rumour that has been denied that Verstappen could be offered a billion pounds, dollars or Euro's by Lance Stroll to join Aston Martin and be accepted must become reality and that would be disgusting, and I'm a Verstappen fan.
Russell is arguably the quickest driver in F1. Just needs to calm down a bit sometimes
arguably - since WHEN Exactly??
Russell might find himself without a seat
Plus are we forgetting mercedes wanted max for this season thats clear indication max knows his best chance of Drivers championship is staying put till new rule changes if toto was all in with these two they would have contacts past end of this season i can see the news coming mid season of max joining mercedes in summer
Toto saying he wanted MV and Toto actually wanting MV are two completely different things. Has F1 taught you nothing 😁
If anything Verstappen goes to Aston not Merc. Or he retires after this season or next once he realises RBR are on the way out.
Im sorry but if ford PU isnt stacking up well max will be a Mercedes driver its clear from last season max doesn't need to be in the hest car his talent makes up the rest
Verstappen to Mercedes, Russell to Red Bull
😂😂 only fools believe this 😂 RBR IS PREPARING ARVID LINDBLAD FOR RBR. They don’t need George.
Max 100% going to Aston martin for $1 billion Honda will pave the way.
this video was more speculated waffle than anything else, you could even the arguments lacked substance and basis. The only shakeup that would happen would be if max has a fallout with redbull and mercedes jumped in to swoop him, effectively making red bull run to russell as replacement - there saved you 7mins
I think it is more likely Verstappen will leave Formula 1 because of all the politics involved and bullshittery from the FIA president compared to Verstappen going to Mercedes or Russel to Red Bull.
Maybe this is something that will come with time, or I'm just particularly sensitive to it, but Jon's diction is a little weird to me-sort of stilted and with a lot of filler words? His strange falling-tone at the end of most sentences in the flexible wing video was distracting too.
Probably get better with time, I guess.
RB will *never* get Russell as long as Verstappen is there. If they sign Russell you can bet money on the fact that Verstappen is gonna leave any either go to Aston Martin or Mercedes.
Max leaves the sport before leaving Red Bull for another team I guarantee you that.
It’s all about the cars. If you have a rocket ship then why pay hundreds of millions for MV, when someone else could deliver similar results. If you have a bad car then why spend hundreds of millions for MV to get frustrated and be whinging all the time.
MV will remain at RBR and Russell will remain at Mercedes. The real joker in the pack is Oscar and what happens to him at McLaren next year. He might be a much hotter driver than either MV or Russell.
No way is George is going to Red Bull, come on now.
What are they talking about??
I realize we have a dead spot in the news right now but this is a dumb video topic. Russel won’t leave, and I bet he re-ups a few races into the year.
I really wish Mercedes would swap Kimi with Carlos.
Remember who you are George.
Who would want him? Apart from McLaren maybe?
Wolff deserves to be punished, to take antonelli over sainz is just foolishness
People said the same thing about McLaren putting Hamilton in the car in 2007 instead of a proven driver and McLaren sacking Riccardio for rookie Piastri worked out well. If anything Wolff should be applauded for giving youth a chance.
Merc just messed with George. 3 years in a Williams to then get promoted to Merc who failed at this generation of car, now it seems like Toto may forget about George. 4 years ago Merc only cared about getting George in the car. Even Niki said he is special. George isnt getting younger already 26 and 27 in Feb. George has always backed Merc thought out for them to just drop George would just be unfair.
If I recall Toto has said the 3 years loan to Williams was a year too long but that was the deal.
Better chance that Valteri goes to RB than George. Andrea is a good youngster (there is only 1 Kimi) and he has to grow
Bottas said they don't like him at Red Bull
Red Bull were not interested in Bottas last year, why would they be now?
Delusional to think RB would ever take George if they refused to take Carlos
I rhink he resighns no good options open for him the only driver i think is moving in 2025 is yuki
Aaldert
0% chance Red Bull will sign Russel
lol the race is always way way off the pace
Russell aint going nowhere.
End of
Russel needs to stop texting and driving...
it won't happen but it would be really funny if Russell went to RB
Max will take Lewis's seat at Ferrari in 26
winter slop
Russell to aston martin to replace lance.
russ to RB, max to merc
Piastri to RB would be a better perspective
TAKE A BREAK. RELEASE REAL NEWS.
IS IT OFF SEASON ATM? Thought so .......................
Truth is: Osama Bin Russell is a midfield driver and nobody wants him.
The Horndawg has no genuine interest in Osama, it was purely to irritate Wolf Man, RB doesn’t want to buy another impotent #2.
Exactly!