George Russell reveals 'unsuccessful' Mercedes F1 contract negotiations

George Russell, Mercedes, Singapore, 2025 — Photo: © IMAGO

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George Russell reveals 'unsuccessful' Mercedes F1 contract negotiations

The Brit's signed for 2026 now, but...

Chris Deeley

Wednesday 14 January 2026 20:27

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Mercedes star George Russell has admitted that he failed to squeeze something he really wanted out of his last contract negotiation.

The Brit was one of the few drivers on the F1 grid whose future was in doubt midway through 2025, with negotiations dragging on in the background while Toto Wolff flirted publicly with Max Verstappen.

Russell didn't end up signing on for the coming season until midway through October, and has since told AMuS that he didn't get everything he wanted in the deal.

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Specifically, he wanted an F1 car. Not one to drive when he's at work (that, in fact, is provided to every driver who signs a contract, or else they'd be forced to run around the track making 'vroom vroom' noises with their mouths), but one to keep for good.

Russell: Cost cap stops me collecting cars

Russell blames his failure to acquire a car to have at home on the F1 cost cap, revealing that teams now produce full monocoques at a rate far, far lower than in the past.

"I would love to collect my own Formula 1 cars," he said. "But because of the cost cap, we only produce three or four monocoques per year. Twenty years ago, when unlimited testing was still allowed, each team built 15 to 20 chassis. These were then rotated regularly."

He added: “I tried to get a Formula 1 car during my last contract negotiations. But unfortunately, I wasn't successful,”

He did offer some hope for the future (or, at least, admitted that he personally has some hope), saying: "I would like to see the teams find a way to produce monocoques outside of the budget cap. We have enough of the other parts."

"Each driver has five engines per year. I think Mercedes produces a total of 60 engines for each season. We also have plenty of rear wings – for high, medium, and low downforce. There are also enough front wings and underbodies. We have at least ten sets of all the other parts. But there are only three or four monocoques. Maybe I should talk to the FIA about that."

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