George Russell responds to Max Verstappen thinking about his future in F1

George Russell wants Max Verstappen to stay in Formula 1 but he isn't worried about what would happen if he left. He says that no driver is bigger than the championship.

The four time world champion is thinking about what to do next after being very upset with the new rules for 2026 which he said are anti-racing.

His Red Bull team hasn't had a good start either they're in sixth place after three rounds. Verstappen said in Japan last time out that he has life decisions to make.

So the 28 year old's situation is different from Russell's who has been in favor of the stricter electrical rules because he likes his first title contending car since joining Mercedes in 2022.

So when Motorsport.com and other media outlets asked Russell on Friday if F1 could "survive" without Verstappen he said "Formula 1 is bigger than any driver."

But then he said "You wouldn't want to lose Max because I think we all like racing against him and that's just part of Formula 1."

I didn't like driving the '22 car when it was bouncing up and down and hurting everyone's backs. It wasn't very fun to drive the car because it was big heavy and had high-speed corners.

But he didn't have the same problem because he was winning. Now the problems he has are different from those of Mercedes, Ferrari and McLaren because we're at the front of the grid which is normal.

Verstappen has said many times that he will only stay in F1 if he enjoys it and he has already reached his goal of becoming world champion.

Russell gets why the Dutchman is thinking about leaving especially since he wouldn't completely leave motorsport because he loves racing GT3 cars.

Verstappen has raced in two Nurburgring Langstecken Serie races. This weekend he is qualifying for the 24 hour race at the Nordschleife on May 16-17 in a Mercedes.

Russell said "You understand and recognize the frustration but he has done what most drivers dream of: winning a championship."

"He has four of them and at the end of the day there's not much more he can do in Formula 1."

"He's checked off all the boxes. Maybe he can go after the records but I know him and I know drivers who have won or done similar things. At some point you just want to do what makes you happy. I can totally understand why driving the Nordschleife makes him happy.

I've driven hundreds of laps around the Nordschleife on the simulator and I'd love to race around the Nordschleife but right now my goal is to become a Formula 1 world champion.

If I had four of them I'd probably do the same thing. So he's at a very different point in his career and I think you'd understand if he stayed or if he left.