George Russell skips Azerbaijan GP duties as Mercedes release statement | F1 | Sport
George Russell missed Thursday’s duties at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix through illness. The Mercedes driver was not available to speak to the media, instead resting in preparation for the first track action at the Baku City Circuit.
“George is unwell so unfortunately won’t be at track today, as he’s resting up ahead of tomorrow’s track action,” a Mercedes spokesperson confirmed. Should the 27-year-old fail to recover in time for FP1 on Friday morning, reserve driver Valtteri Bottas will be on standby for the Silver Arrows.
Russell heads into the 17th round of the 2025 Formula One campaign fourth in the Drivers’ Championship standings, 36 points behind Max Verstappen in third, and 31 clear of fifth-placed Charles Leclerc.
However, Russell’s true battle over the coming eight races lies in the Constructors’ Championship. Mercedes are currently trailing Ferrari by just 20 points and, with rookie team-mate Kimi Antonelli having scored just three top-10 finishes in the past 10 race weekends, the onus has been on the Brit to keep the Brackley squad within touching distance of their Italian rivals.
The 27-year-old is also chasing a new contract. Both Russell and Antonelli’s current deals are expiring at the end of the 2025 season, and Toto Wolff is yet to agree to renewed terms with his driver line-up.
Despite Wolff’s public pursuit of reigning world champion Verstappen, Russell maintains that he never believed his seat to be under threat. “No, not at all, to be honest,” he said. “It was more of a question of who my team-mate was going to be.
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“I think I’m quite rational to how this sport works, and the team felt like they didn’t need to sign a deal. I didn’t really feel I needed to push it so much when it got to a certain point. I believe in myself more than ever.
“I’ve always believed in myself, and my results have always shown that. It’s not just the form of this year, but through my whole career since the age of 10 years old. So, yeah, if you back yourself and if you perform, you’ll never have anything to worry about.”
While Russell is confident about his position within the team, Antonelli’s long-term future is more uncertain. The 19-year-old is expected to pen a one-year extension for 2026, but will need to show more consistent promise if he is to convince Wolff that he is a true alternative to Verstappen for 2027 and beyond.
