George Russell finds himself at the heart of the Mercedes contract saga, and the cost to secure a Mercedes F1 deal is now a hot topic in the paddock. With his current contract expiring at the end of the 2025 season, Russell openly admits the team’s ongoing talks with Max Verstappen may be holding things up.
Despite an impressive season so far, claiming victory in Canada and a string of podiums, Russell remains without a contract for 2026, a surprise to many given his strong form for Mercedes. The uncertainty has been the talk of the paddock as the 2025 Austrian Grand Prix approaches.
Asked directly about the status of his contract negotiations with Mercedes, Russell said, “Yeah, a little bit. No major updates yet. It’s not something that I’m pressing massively because, as I’ve always said, the performance is the priority.
“And I feel with the performance I’m showing at the moment – still in line with the performance I’ve shown over all these years – I’ve got zero reasons to be worried. But obviously, it does help if there was pen on paper. But let’s see.”
The backdrop to all this is Lewis Hamilton’s decision to leave Mercedes for Ferrari next year, prompting team boss Toto Wolff to make a highly-public bid for Verstappen. Though young Italian Kimi Antonelli eventually took the available seat, the Verstappen speculation refuses to die down.
Russell added more fuel to the fire in an exclusive Sky Sports F1 interview, suggesting the chase for Verstappen is still affecting the process: “From my side, I don’t think I have anything really to worry about. I think, as a team, it depends where you put your aspirations. We’re second best at the moment, maybe third best.
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“We might be overperforming slightly to be second best. As Mercedes, they want to be back on top, and if you’re going to be back on top you need to make sure you’ve got the best drivers, the best engineers, the best pit crew, and that’s what Mercedes are chasing.
“So, it’s only normal that conversations with the likes of Verstappen are ongoing. But from my side, if I’m performing as I’m doing, what have I got to be concerned about? There are two seats in every Formula 1 team.”
Team dynamics and Russell’s future on the F1 grid
The story has another twist: Could Mercedes try to pair Russell and Verstappen together? That seems complicated, given their on- and off-track clashes over the past year, including a fiery exchange at the 2024 Abu Dhabi season finale.
Speaking with the media, including Total-Motorsport.com, at the Red Bull Ring, Russell hinted the team’s decision-making might hinge on this rivalry.
“Toto has made it clear to me that he thinks how I’m performing this year is as good as anybody,” Russell explained. “I think there’s only one driver that you can debate in terms of performance – these are his words, these are not my words – so that’s why I have no concern about the future.
“But there’s two seats at every team and I guess he needs to think, who are those two drivers going to be for those two seats, and I guess that’s what the delay is.”
For his part, Russell insists his focus is on driving fast and delivering results, reiterating his commitment to Mercedes but keeping the door open for any opportunity.
“For sure, I want to be in the seat that’s going to give me the best chance to win,” Russell said, “and ultimately, nothing would make me happier than winning with Mercedes because they’re the ones that helped me get my opportunity and I’ve built such a relationship with everybody in this team.
“But right now, there’s only one thing for me to focus on and that’s driving fast. If you’re driving quick, there’s nothing to worry about. And if you’re not, that’s when people start talking.”
Meanwhile, Max Verstappen has played down speculation around his own future with Red Bull, telling reporters, “I’ve had that question before as well in my life. I don’t think we need to talk about that. You want me to repeat what I said last year? Again, it’s not really in my mind. I’m just driving, trying to push the performance, and then we focus on next year.”
While Verstappen’s performance clause was the talk of the paddock earlier in the year, his solid standing in the drivers’ standings has silenced some of the rumours – for now. Still, with Russell’s comments reigniting the discussion, expect Toto Wolff and Christian Horner to face more questions about the F1 driver market all weekend.
