Red Bull Racing may not be the most popular team in the paddock but that’s what tends to happen after a period of domination.
Every other team is out to get Max Verstappen heading into 2025 as he looks to match Michael Schumacher’s record of winning five straight championships.
He might have his work cut out as Red Bull lost their advantage over the likes of McLaren and Ferrari halfway through last year.
However, it’s impossible to rule out the Dutchman going on to win yet another title as he appears to consistently have the edge over many of his rivals.
Whether or not many of the other drivers agree with his racing style is another matter.
Lando Norris was on the end of some overly aggressive moves as the campaign went on, with Damon Hill calling out Verstappen after he was penalised during the Mexico City Grand Prix.
George Russell then led a campaign against Verstappen following a disagreement that took place in the steward’s room after qualifying for the Qatar Grand Prix.
Russell and Verstappen’s feud looks set to continue into 2025 as the £12m-a-year Mercedes driver believes he has what it takes to stand up to the four-time world champion.
Journalist Scott Mitchell-Malm was speaking on The Race F1 Podcast and believes that Russell and Red Bull’s relationship has soured.
That’s despite the fact that Christian Horner suggested Red Bull might try and sign Russell at one point last season.
George Russell and Red Bull have ‘bad blood’ between them after Max Verstappen feud
Mitchell-Malm was discussing Russell’s current contract at Mercedes which expires at the end of the year and how if Verstappen leaves Red Bull, he may be a logical option.
Expanding on this, he said: “He [Christian Horner] did it again at the end of last year, saying that Russell’s a free agent and he’d be someone of interest.
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“I mean, the indication I got when I spoke to Horner is that he’s happy to use the fact that Russell’s a free agent as part of the driver market warfare, but I didn’t get the impression he was kind of super serious about exploring it properly.
“I feel like there might be a little bit of bad blood between Red Bull and Russell. I think Russell’s just pushed on a nerve a few times now with his conduct on track and off it around Verstappen, that maybe there’s just a little bit of needle between driver and organization there.”
Why signing George Russell could have made sense for Red Bull
Horner will be well aware of the interest in Verstappen from other teams in the paddock.
Aston Martin are desperate to sign Verstappen, although the current state of their F1 project doesn’t make it the most enticing project for the 27-year-old at this stage.
Mercedes were also very keen to replace Hamilton with Verstappen and that’s what prompted Horner to suggest that they would take a look at Russell.
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The Mercedes driver is arguably the highest-profile driver out of contract at the end of the 2025 season.
If Verstappen were to decide that he wants to pursue his F1 career elsewhere or step away from the sport entirely, then Russell suddenly becomes a very interesting option.
Mercedes won’t want to lose him given the inexperience of Andrea Kimi Antonelli, but Red Bull don’t currently have a driver within their ranks of the required calibre to step into Verstappen’s position.
It’s an unlikely scenario, but one that would be very intriguing to watch play out should it end up happening.
