George Russell says there’s an “exceptionally low” chance he’ll leave Mercedes next year even after he claimed the team was holding talks with Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen.

George Russell says the chances of him not being a Mercedes driver next year are “exceptionally low”, adding he expects Kimi Antonelli to remain as his team-mate.

Russell’s contract at Mercedes expires at the end of 2025, while Verstappen is tied to Red Bull until 2028 though team adviser Helmut Marko has previously acknowledged that all of the top drivers on the grid have agreements that contain performance-related break clauses.