Russell: Mercedes engineers 'still the most successful' in F1 despite Newey links

George Russell has voiced support for the Mercedes engineering department amid rumours of a Toto Wolff swoop for Adrian Newey.

The decorated designer will leave Red Bull in early 2025, having been with the team since 2006. Prior to turning the Milton Keynes squad into an F1 powerhouse, he won championships with both Williams and McLaren.

Whilst Mercedes got the better of Newey between 2014 and 2021, the 65-year-old bookended that historic run of dominance with two periods consecutive championships for Red Bull, in the hands of Sebastian Vettel from 2010-2013 and with Max Verstappen in recent years, usurping Russell's team in the process.

Since news of his Red Bull resignation broke, Newey has been most heavily linked to Ferrari, and has received a substantial offer from Aston Martin, too. However, potential ties to Mercedes have also gained traction.

"I mean, of course," the 26-year-old replied to media including RacingNews365 when asked if there would be space for Newey at the team. "You want to have the best engineers, the best drivers, the best mechanics, you want to have the best individuals [as] part of your team. 

"But I think the team we have here, over the course of the last 12 years, the group of engineers that sit in the room next door are still the most successful engineers that Formula 1 has seen in the last 12 [or] 13 years."

'I have every faith' in the team

Having taken eight back-to-back constructors' titles and seven straight drivers' crowns following a regulations overhaul in 2014, much of Mercedes' focus is set on 2026, when both the chassis and power unit rules will change.

When the most recent F1 era began in 2022, the Brackley team fell from its perch, struggling to compete against the dominant Red Bull and the improved Ferrari. It won just one grand prix that year, at the hands of Russell in Brazil, but has not taken a victory since.

Despite this prolonged period of relative mediocrity, the British driver is confident in his team's ability - with or without Newey.

"Now we're going through a period where we're not achieving the success that the team once achieved a few years ago," he acknowledged.

"But I have every faith in everybody, the people that won the championships, the new engineers and individuals who are part of this journey, to bring Mercedes back to the top."