George Russell believes that Mercedes is at the "mercy of the weather" as the team attempts to recapture its form from last year's British Grand Prix - in which Lewis Hamilton secured his 104th Formula 1 victory.

Russell’s situation took a fresh twist after his own claim that “ongoing” talks between Verstappen and Mercedes were influencing his wait for a new deal, team principal Toto Wolff and Verstappen yet to shut down the idea that this union could come to be for F1 2026.