Helmut Marko sends spiky George Russell reply after sparking Max Verstappen rumour

Helmut Marko has struck back at George Russell, suggesting that the four-time Grand Prix winner 'talks too much'. The Mercedes racer let on that the Silver Arrows are in 'talks' with Max Verstappen over a deal for the 2026 season. Russell and Verstappen are already at the centre of an F1 rivalry that spans back to an Azerbaijan Grand Prix crash in 2024, and they are now caught up in a battle for a Mercedes seat in 2026.

The Brit's current deal ends after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in December, while the four-time world champion is considering options away from Red Bull. Until now, both Russell and team principal Toto Wolff have been coy when it comes to discussing negotiations with Verstappen. However, the driver from King's Lynn remains without a new deal despite winning in Montreal last time out, and made some interesting comments on Thursday ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix.

"As Mercedes, they want to be back on top, and if you're going to be back on top, you need to make sure you've got the best drivers, the best engineers, the best pit crew, and that's what Mercedes are chasing," Russell told Sky Sports F1 at the Red Bull Ring.

"So, it's only normal that conversations with the likes of Verstappen are ongoing. But from my side, if I'm performing as I'm doing, what have I got to be concerned about? There are two seats in every Formula One team."

The media storm was stoked by Wolff's response. The Mercedes boss refused to directly rule out conversations with Verstappen and his entourage. "I want to just have the conversations behind closed doors, not town halls," he said.

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"We have a few drivers that have been in our program since a long time [ago], drivers that I'm perfectly happy to have, drivers that will do great in the future of the team. So it's a bit different, the situation."

When Russell's comments were put to Red Bull advisor Marko, the Austrian gave a brutal response. "What's up with him now?" the 82-year-old hit back. "Russell does talk, but I thought he had a contract for next year. That must have changed since Montreal. So that victory actually damaged him." Marko then added: We can't actually take this seriously. Russell just talks too much."

Russell heads into Sunday's race in Spielberg just 19 points behind Verstappen in the standings and will seek to keep the pressure on the Dutchman at one of Red Bull's home circuits. The reigning champion remains one penalty point away from a race suspension that would jeopardise his faint championship dreams.