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George Russell has enjoyed a solid start to the season with Mercedes but the British driver’s contract expires at the end of 2025 and Toto Wolff has Max Verstappen on his radar
Talk surrounding George Russell’s future at Mercedes is becoming increasingly loud in the Formula 1 paddock. Russell, 27, has enjoyed his best start to a season, stepping up to lead Mercedes following the departure of Lewis Hamilton and arrival of teenage wonderkid Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
The British driver has racked up four podium finishes in seven Grands Prix and only missed on out of the top five once in 2025. That dip in form came on Sunday in Imola, as Mercedes had a race to forget.
But doubts remain over his long-term future. Russell’s contract is due to expire in December and there’s been no news on a renewal.
Martin Brundle finds the situation ‘strange’, telling Sky Sports earlier this month: “He’s driving beautifully and he hasn’t got a contract for next year that we know about at the moment. It feels strange, although when I speak to Mercedes about that, they remind me not only are they his current employers, they’re his management team as well.”
The threat of being replaced by Max Verstappen still looms, with Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff known to be a long-time admirer. Wolff regrets not signing the four-in-a-row world champion when he was younger but he could be given a second chance amid Verstappen’s own uncertain future at Red Bull.
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An exit clause in his contract could allow Mercedes to swoop in. It’s been claimed that the clause would allow the Dutchman to leave Red Bull for 2026 if he finds himself outside of the top in the Drivers’ Championship by this year’s summer break.
That’s a realistic propsect for Red Bull boss Christian Horner, as McLaren duo Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris currently occupy first and second place. Verstappen certainly isn’t showing any signs of self-sabotage, however, winning Sunday’s Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix to move within nine points of Norris.
Should Verstappen make a sensational switch to Mercedes, though, it’d likely oust Russell. The Silver Arrows would likely choose to stick with Antonelli, who’s also got seven months left on his deal but has shown potential in his rookie season.
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Russell could even go the other way in a straight swap with Verstappen. The Race report that Russell has held informal talks with Horner, who last September name-dropped Russell when discussing Red Bed Bull’s driver line-up.
“We’re not afraid to go out of the pool,” Horner revealed. “You know, George Russell is out of contract at the end of next year. It would be foolish not to take that into consideration.”
Since Horner’s comments, three different drivers have partnered Verstappen – namely Sergio Perez, Liam Lawson and now Yuki Tsunoda – as issues with their once-dominant car persist. Verstappen’s talent is enough to mask their lingering problems but if he fails to be in the hunt for his fifth successive title, it mark the end of his Red Bull career – and Russell’s at Mercedes.
Russell played down speculation over his future last month by joking: “Yeah I’ll be racing for Mercedes this weekend and next weekend. Silverstone I’ll be there as well!
“From my side there is literally no stress, no worries whatsoever. When it comes to contracts everyone gets so excited about it. The fact is, drivers have had contracts and if they don’t perform, they get booted out.
“For all drivers, performance is our currency. That’s what we’ve got and if we perform, everything is good. I’m just excited to go racing this weekend, focus on performance, and the future sorts itself out.”
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