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George Russell's name keeps appearing in conversations about the Red Bull driver lineup, partly because Verstappen is linked to Mercedes and partly because someone needs to be
linked to his seat. Formula 1 analyst Will Buxton has a more specific and considered argument for why the fit might actually work, and it rests on the idea that Red Bull today is a fundamentally different organisation to the one people are still imagining.
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The Old Red Bull No Longer Exists in the Same Form
Buxton made his case on the Up to Speed podcast. His starting point is that most of the discourse around who fits at Red Bull is based on a team that no longer exists in its previous form. Christian Horner is gone. Helmut Marko's influence has diminished. The internal culture that made a vocal, opinionated driver seem like a misfit has been replaced by something different under Laurent Mekies.
"A lot of fans are still looking at the old Red Bull, where hierarchy was sacred and discussion was not always welcomed. But that team no longer exists in the same way." His argument is not that Russell is the obvious choice, but that the assumption he would inevitably clash with the culture is based on a culture that has largely already changed.
A New Culture, a Different Type of Driver
Under Mekies, Buxton sees space for a driver who challenges internally and communicates assertively. "You cannot keep judging Red Bull by how it used to work. A new culture is forming and maybe someone like George fits into that perfectly. Even a pairing with Oscar Piastri could make sense in such a scenario."
He was careful not to overstate the likelihood. Leclerc, he said, remains committed to Ferrari after telling people in Miami that his goal of winning a title with the Scuderia has not changed. The internal Red Bull pathway, promoting from the junior programme, remains the default option. But the Russell conversation is no longer as easy to dismiss as it once was.
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