Mercedes protege Russell has long been linkedꦆ with a promotion to the works’ team next season alongside Lewis Hamilton, with some media reports claiming an announcement could be made as early as 🌳next month’s British Grand Prix.

Bottas 168澳🍃洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史꧒:dismissed the latest rumours as "clickbait" when he faced th💫e media earlier on Thursday at Paul Ricard ahea👍d of this weekend’s French Grand Prix.

Russel🐽l - who turned in a starring display during a one-off call-up to Mercedes at the 2020 Sakhir GP and has continu🔯ed to impress for Williams this year - stressed his future is yet to be decided.

“Nothing is set in stone for next year,” Russell said. “I’m stiꦅll a Williams driver and I haven’t signed any contracts beyond [this ye𒆙ar].

And♍ Russell is determined not to let the speculation surrounding his future become a dist꧙raction and potentially effect his performances on-track.

“The better j🍰ob you do on track, the more chance you have to secure a future🅰,” he added.

“F1 is a ruthless sport, there’s only room for 20 drivers and you’ve got to be on your A-Game and can’t get too carried away looking to the fu💜ture, because you can start having a bad run of form and suddenly everything can change🍬.”

Russell admitted he is aware of the rumours and said he hopes to have his future settled “one way ♔or another” before the end of the summer break in August.

“Obviously I’m aw꧒are about all the speculation, but ꦺright now I’m just enjoying driving, race-by-race,” he explained.

“I want to get my future nailed down at✨ some point. But right now I’m just focused on this weekend and into Austri🤡a.

“The summer break is usually when these things sort of happen. For most𝔉 peopl⛎e, the summer break is where you get things set in stone. So for me, I’m just focused race-by-race and just enjoy the curiosity of what is to come.

“It’s sometimes exciting not know꧅ing what the future holds.”

Ea🍌rlier this week, Alpin👍e announced that Esteban Ocon had committed his mid-to-long term future to the team with a three-year extension.

Asked whether he sees Ocon as one less obstacle to get into Mercedes given his♔ links to the German ๊marquee, Russell replied: “I don’t see it as anything to be honest.

“Firstly, congrats to Esteban, he deserves that and it’s great for Mercedes as well that one of their driv♛ers has their career set in stone and sorted. But no, I haven’t really t꧟hought about that.

“Esteban has been at Renault and Alpine for the last couple of years and obviously with his spꦕeed and his nationality, it’s a great fit at Alpine.

"That didn’t cros𒉰s my mi﷽nd other than I am happy for him and it’s good to see he’s got things all stable and settled after a year out.”