Ahead of the British Grand Prix, Sky Sport Italia claimed discussions between the Verstappen camp and Mercedes had escalated and a deal was awaiting board approval.
In the wake of that story, other European outlets reported no formal offer had been made yet nor that Verstappen had indicated to Red Bull a desire to leave.
Whether they are informal discussions or otherwise, Brundle said “there’s no smoke without fire” and that the looming threat of a Verstappen deal had prompted Russell to look at his options.
Speaking ahead of the Silverstone weekend, Brundle said it was odd that Russell had not been re-signed based on his performances to date.
Russell is fourth in the drivers’ championship, nine points behind Verstappen, and won recently at the Canadian Grand Prix.
“What do we know that’s factual? George Russell has not been announced for next year, and that’s highly unusual because he’s doing a brilliant job for Mercedes,” Brundle said, speaking with Sky Sport F1 co-commentator Simon Lazenby.
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“He’s a long-standing Mercedes driver, and he’s picked up the mantle beautifully after Lewis Hamilton’s exit.
“So, for him to be hanging there still without clarity as we head into the halfway point of the season is unusual.
“And nobody is absolutely, categorically denying that Max Verstappen is talking to Mercedes — that’s Mercedes or team Verstappen, so something is up.”
It has been widely reported that Verstappen has a clause that could open the door for him to terminate his Red Bull contract early.
As it stands, the Dutch driver is contracted through to 2028. The reports suggest that if he is not inside the top four by the summer break, there are machinations that allow him to leave.
However, in the event that Verstappen was able to get an early out, there are issues around contract payouts, reportedly upwards of nine figures.
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Brundle said that while Russell is the top-performing driver at Mercedes, Mercedes’ investment in Kimi Antonelli makes the Brit vulnerable
“If you’re running a Formula 1 team and Verstappen is in the marketplace, you’ve got to consider hiring him,” said Brundle.
“I think Mercedes and Toto in particular are so invested in Kimi Antonelli as the future star, the teenager now, that I would be, and I know, that George has been making contact with other teams.
“I mean, Russell/Verstappen, what a line-up that would be. It would be an incredible line-up, wouldn’t it?
“You can’t force a driver to stay if he doesn’t want to drive the car, but you’d go to an awful lot of trouble to stop Max Verstappen leaving and to make him happy again, wouldn’t you? An awful lot of trouble.”
Several high-profile personnel have left Red Bull in recent years, including legendary designer Adrian Newey to Aston Martin.
Brundle theorised that the arrival of Ford and the team building its own engine could be cause for concern in the Verstappen camp.
“They’ve lost Adrian Newey, they’ve lost Jonathan Wheatley, they’ve lost a guy called Rob Marsh who’s gone and made a big difference at McLaren,” said Brundle.
“They’re making their own power unit, Red Bull, for next year. That’s a worry I think for team Verstappen. We’ve got this really big bubbling point at the moment.”
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