George Russell admits McLaren and Red Bull talks before signing Mercedes F1 deal | F1 | Sport

George Russell has revealed that he held talks with Red Bull and McLaren before signing for Mercedes as a junior driver. The 27-year-old progressed through the junior ranks with the Silver Arrows and is now their established team leader.

Russell signed a new multi-year contract ahead of the United States Grand Prix, extending his stay with Toto Wolff’s squad for another couple of seasons at least and earning in the region of £30million per season.

However, things could have panned out very differently had Russell signed for McLaren or Red Bull as a junior prodigy. The Norfolk-born prodigy delved into his experience signing for Mercedes as a teenager in an emotional article for The Players’ Tribune.

“At the time, I had the phone numbers of some Formula 1 bosses,” Russell wrote. “So I started calling people, I was emailing people, talking to anybody who would give me the time.

“My manager had actually gotten Toto’s email from one of his other drivers, but he thought I should be the one to take it, so he gave it to me. He believed in me, so he was like, ‘Get an email sent off quick.’ And listen, it didn’t exactly take a rocket scientist to work out… Had to have been something like totowolff@MercedesF1.com!

“I actually remember it very well. It was the Tuesday after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2014. I wrote something like: ‘Dear Toto, My name’s George Russell. I race in Formula 4. I’ve just won the championship this season. I’m progressing into Formula 3 next year, and I’d love to sit down with you to have your advice for my future career.’

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“I didn’t want to send a big CV like, This is me, sign me, sign me, sign me. I don’t know why. I just said, ‘I just want to have your advice.’ I thought that was the best way to get face time with him.

“He replied within 15 minutes. I’d had some good conversations with McLaren, had prior contacts with Red Bull, but honestly, Toto was just … different. He seemed so genuine.”

Now, heading into the first season of new technical regulations in 2026, Russell feels ready to fight for a World Championship, provided Mercedes can offer him competitive machinery. The Brit has already won two Grands Prix this campaign and has dominated team-mate Kimi Antonelli.