Martin Brundle about the Mercedes situation and Max Verstappen

      Last night in central London, the McLaren team, leading in both championship standings, put on a show attended by six thousand fans. At least, that figure was announced on Sky Sports News.

      Among those present was Martin Brundle, a popular British TV commentator who once raced for this team and stepped onto the podium a few times.

      Behind the scenes of the McLaren Racing Live show, Martin discussed other topics during an interview with Sky Sports News, primarily sharing his thoughts on Max Verstappen's situation, which is currently a topic of much discussion.

      "No smoke without fire," Brundle reasoned. "Factually, we know that the contract with George Russell for next year is not confirmed, which is quite unusual since he's currently performing brilliantly with Mercedes. He's been with this team for a long time and has done a great job succeeding Lewis Hamilton after the seven-time world champion's departure.

      It's also unusual that, just ahead of the British Grand Prix, with almost half the season gone, there's still no clarity on Russell's contract. At the same time, no one categorically denies that Max Verstappen is negotiating with Mercedes – personally or through his management team. Overall, something is definitely happening.

      Let's be honest: Max is currently the fastest driver in the championship, and if we exclude his achievements from Red Bull Racing's results over the past few seasons, the team's position would be quite precarious. But does Mercedes want to take the risk of making such a driver a teammate to Kimi Antonelli, their future star? After all, Max's speed has broken many of his teammates' careers.

      Does Mercedes want to lose George Russell, a driver they are developing? And if Max comes, working with him and his team won't be easy. We'll see how events unfold, but from the perspective of any Formula 1 team's leadership, if the opportunity arises to sign such a driver as Verstappen, this scenario must be considered.

      I think Mercedes would then have to let go of Russell, as they've invested heavily in young Kimi Antonelli, and I know George is already in talks with other teams. On the other hand, imagine if Verstappen and Russell were driving for Mercedes—what an incredible lineup that would be, and how fierce a rivalry between these two drivers could become.

      It's true that contracts are one thing, but despite that, all kinds of deals are still being made, and you can't force a driver to race your car if he doesn't want to. If Red Bull tries to prevent Verstappen's departure and works to ensure he's happy again, they'll face quite a few serious challenges.

      This team has already lost Adrian Newey, Jonathan Wheatley, and a specialist like Rob Marshall, who now works very well with McLaren. Also, Red Bull is developing its own power unit for 2026—which I think Verstappen and his team are also concerned about. Overall, the situation is tense, lots is happening..."