Mega transfer on the horizon? 'Russell and Red Bull in conversation
According to The Race, George Russell and Christian Horner have held exploratory talks eyeing a potential collaboration for the future with Max Verstappen rumours of a potential exit from the Austrian team looming overhead.
The Red Bull Team Principal and the Mercedes driver have thus far simply relayed each other's situations with no tangible negotiations per se taking place as of yet.
Russell's contract expires this season, and his plan, as he has stated many times before, is to remain with the Brackley-based outfit. Whilst Mercedes F1's team boss and CEO, Toto Wolff, has lauded his driver time and time again, no contract has yet been offered for his now lead driver.
Wolff keeps door open for Verstappen
Wolff has always reffered to his driver line-up of Russell and Mercedes prodigy, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, as a more than satisfactory situation 'at the moment', never truly decanting his preference of his current driver line-up and closing the door on a potential Verstappen move to Mercedes.
Should Verstappen leave Red Bull Racing, and should Mercedes sign the reigning world champion, then either Russell or Antonelli will have to make way. With the high hopes and the promise currently pinned on Antonelli's potential it seems the most logical that the British driver is the one who has to make way for Verstappen.
The talks held by both parties may indeed be a preemptive measure to a potential Verstappen exit. Red Bull would want to cover themselves should the Dutchman indeed leave, and if he should go to Mercedes and take Russell's spot, then the British driver would of course look for the best possible drive available, making the move all the more sensible.
It must be stressed that a move away from Red Bull for next season, is not the case at all for Verstappen at the moment.
A slimmer, but not by any means outlandish possibility, of Russell making the switch to Red Bull to partner Verstappen is not out of the question either. With that driving pairing, the Milton Keynes-based team would be locking in one of the strongest - if not the strongest - driver line-ups in F1. Moreover, Red Bull would deal a heavy blow to ardent rival Mercedes by poaching their best driver.
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