Mercedes star George Russell 'failed' during his F1 contract talks

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

F1 News & Gossip

Mercedes star George Russell 'failed' during his F1 contract talks

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

Originally written by Chris Deeley. This version is a translation.

Wednesday 14 January 2026 23:00

Mercedes driver George Russell has revealed that he didn’t manage to secure everything he was hoping for during his most recent contract talks.

Russell was among a small number of Formula 1 drivers whose long-term future remained uncertain halfway through the 2025 season, as discussions continued behind the scenes while Toto Wolff openly entertained the idea of signing 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

"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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