George Russell kicks off the 2026 Formula 1 season brimming with hunger to battle Max Verstappen directly for supremacy. 

At Mercedes’ car launch on Monday, the British driver laid out his bold vision, stating he wants to go head-to-head with the Red Bull star in a championship scrap. 

Winter testing in Bahrain backed his talk, as Russell topped the final day with a 1:29.545 lap, edging Verstappen by just 0.021 seconds on soft tires.

Mercedes’ W16 chassis turned heads in pre-season action, piling up clean laps without major hitches. Russell logged 91 kilometres, sliding through Sakhir’s turns with focus that signals real contention. 

He shrugged off pre-season favourite tags, insisting the focus stays on raw performance. “I want to go head-to-head with Max,” he repeated at the Silverstone-based reveal. He also added that he did not feel any pressure heading into the new season.

Both Russell and Verstappen have a history of on-track clashes. Their 2024 Qatar spat saw Verstappen threaten wild moves, but Russell did not refrain from calling him out.

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On what he thinks about his rival and the team, Russell did show any pretence as to how dominant Red Bull could be this season: “We know that Red Bull have always had an amazing car. Even through the years of dominance of Mercedes, it was their engine that was letting them down, not their car, and we obviously know how good Max is. 

“So I think he’s very much going to be in the fight this year, and that is great,” he said.

Russell heads into the new season quite confident in himself and his abilities. Winning two races last year, in a season dominated by Verstappen and the McLaren duo, was no small feat, and he looks prepared to take more victories this year.