George Russell says the Formula 1 driver market can be “ruthless” but he believes strong performances will be rewarded.

The Mercedes driver will be out of contract at the end of this year. He has begun his fourth season at Mercedes well, finishing every race in the top five so far. Russell lies fourth in the drivers’ championship, 14 points off the lead.

But despite rumours world champion Max Verstappen is unhappy at Red Bull and Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff is keen to sign him, Russell says he isn’t concerned Mercedes have not yet extended his contract for next season.

“There’s always so much excitement around contracts [but] the fact is if you don’t perform, even if you’ve got a contract, you get booted out, and if you do perform, your future sorts itself out,” he told Sky.

“So from my side, I’m just excited with my racing, pleased with how I’m performing, enjoying this season with the team. Performance is our strongest currency, so that’s what I’m focused on and everything [will] sort itself out.”

Verstappen signed a long-term contract with Red Bull three years ago which runs until 2028. However the team’s recent slump in form has led to speculation he could leave early. The team’s motorsport consultant Helmut Marko recently claimed Verstappen can take advantage of an exit clause if he is not in the top three of the championship by the summer break in August.

More than half the drivers on the grid already have deals for 2026, and in several cases beyond then. Russell isn’t among them, but pointed out teams and drivers will always cut short deals if they are unhappy with them.

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“At the end of the day, we’ve never discussed a contract prior to May or June in a season,” he said. “I’d say the more abnormal point is how many drivers have these sort-of long-term deals.

“But everyone’s got exit clauses, they’ve all got performance clauses. So a driver who’s on a three-year contract, it doesn’t really mean anything if they’ve got an exit clause or the team has an exit clause if the driver doesn’t perform.

“It doesn’t really mean a lot. If you’ve got a contract with the team, but if the team wants you gone then the team finds a way to get you gone.

“That’s how this sport works and how it should work because we’re 20 of the best in the world and it’s ruthless. There’s no time to mess all you can do is focus on driving fast.”

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