Aston Martin denies rumours that link Russell with the Silverstone-based outfit

Amid uncertainty regarding the future of Mercedes driver George Russell, Aston Martin has denied rumours that link the four-time grand priw winner racer with the Silverstone-based outfit.

Although George Russell has been in discussion with Mercedes about the extension of his contract for several months, recent reports claimed that the German marque might be interested in the services of four-time F1 champion Max Verstappen.

According to wild speculation, the Dutchman has already agreed to join Mercedes following an offer from team principal Toto Wolff. However, part of the Mercedes board has not yet approved the move, as they believe their 2026 package could be competitive regardless of driver pairing.

The possible deal would revive interest first shown in 2014, when Wolff tried to sign Verstappen into the Mercedes junior program. That attempt was blocked by Helmut Marko and Red Bull, who secured Verstappen’s F1 debut with Toro Rosso in 2015 and fast-tracked him to the top team.

Verstappen has since won four World Championships with Red Bull, including his latest title in 2024. Now, a new chapter with Mercedes — his historical rivals — could await him in 2026.

According to the reports, Verstappen would replace George Russell while Andrea Kimi Antonelli would stay with the Brackley-based team for a second season.

The Briton has also been linked with Aston Martin in recent weeks. However, the Silverstone-based outfit's CEO Andy Cowell has denied that the four-time grand prix winner would join them for next season.

"We're super fortunate. We've got this exciting run into '26. Changing the power unit – we're working with Honda on that – changing the aerodynamics, we've got Adrian working on that, we've got new facilities.

"But the stability that we've got in having Lance and Fernando signed up for next year means that they're not only helping us now develop the tools that we're using for '26, '27 and beyond, but they're working directly on the concept of the car.

"The discussions in the wind tunnel are about the aerodynamic shape, but they're also about driver environment. How much space is there in the cockpit?

"Adrian tends not to leave much space in the cockpit. Everything's exceptionally tight. But that stability of having two drivers signed up through into '26 is really helping us."