George Russell considers DESPERATE F1 measures in Mercedes contract saga

mercedes, george russell, toto wolff — Photo: © IMAGO

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George Russell considers DESPERATE measures in Mercedes contract saga

Russell is only contracted with Mercedes until the end of 2025

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Tuesday 26 August 2025 11:55 Updated: 13:44

Mercedes F1 driver George Russell is still awaiting news of his next contract with the team.

As things stand, the 27-year-old is only contracted with Toto Wolff's outfit until the end of this season, but both the Mercedes driver and team principal have maintained that they are in no hurry to agree to a contract with unfit terms.

Speaking at the Hungarian Grand Prix last time out, Russell was asked by Sky F1’s Craig Slater whether his next deal with Mercedes was the most complicated of his career.

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Russell responded candidly, revealing the drastic lengths he would consider going to in order to secure a contract.

"Yeah, for sure. I'm seven years into Formula 1 right now. I feel that I'm at my peak and I still feel that I'm getting stronger as a driver. I was maybe more anxious about getting a deal done maybe 12 months ago than 6 months ago ahead of 2026. But right now, I've sort of waited so long, I want to make sure it's right and it's got to be right for the team.

"It's got to be right for myself, it's got to all make sense. The duration has to be right both ways.

"So it's not as simple as just saying, ‘are you happy with what you're being paid,' I mean that's a very small factor of it. You know you've got to have faith in the performance as well in future because I would pay to be a world champion, pay to fight for a world championship and that's where I am right now, that is the priority for me."

George Russell says he would pay to be a world champion

What has Wolff said about Russell's F1 contract?

Wolff has continued to put off questions regarding his driver lineup for 2026, with neither Russell nor his rookie team-mate Kimi Antonelli confirmed with the Silver Arrows for next season.

Back in April, the Austrian F1 boss declared that he would pick up contract talks once the campaign reached the European leg of the season, and with the Dutch GP coming up this weekend, it is a topic he is still not willing to give details on.

Discussing Russell's contract at the time, Wolff said: "He’s performing to the highest levels, as we have hoped and expected. He’s delivering, there’s no doubt about that. There’s not more you could demand from that."

So what does Russell need to do to secure his place for next season? Well, now that Max Verstappen has confirmed he is staying put at Red Bull next year, Russell can rest easy knowing his spot won't be stolen by a four-time champion.

However, given that the British racer referred to the length of his contract in the above quotes, it could well be that Wolff is cautious of handing out contract extensions to his drivers of more than one year, knowing full well that there is a chance the Dutchman could be back on the market again next season.

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Written by

Kerry Violet - F1 News Editor

Having graduated from the University of Sheffield with a 2:1 in Journalism in 2022, Kerry continued her pursuit of finding a full-time position in motorsport through work with the F1 Arcade in London, where she got to meet true fans of the sport and make a live grand prix watch party memorable for them. It was here that she confirmed her dream of combining her background in journalism and love of motorsport, going on to volunteer with the female-led platform Empoword Journalism. Having completed stints as a screen editor and sports editor, Kerry landed her first F1-specific editorial role with GPFans and has thoroughly enjoyed continuing to work closely with the sport ever since. The access GPFans offers Kerry has allowed her to interview big names such as Naomi Schiff and David Coulthard and given her experiences she could only have dreamt of as a young F1 fan.

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F1 Mercedes George Russell Toto Wolff