Max Verstappen, George Russell, Jeddah, 2025

One of Formula 1’s top-performing drivers so far this year is without a contract for next season.

George Russell hasn’t been out of the top five all year and has a trio of podium finishes. With 73 points he lies 26 off the lead, and if Mercedes can wring a few tenths of a second from their W16 he may yet become a serious player in the fight for the championship.

Rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli is doing a fine job in the other Mercedes seat. But Russell is setting the standard and scoring the bulk of the points so isn’t it time Mercedes firmed up his deal for next season?

There is one obvious reason why team principal Toto Wolff may be reluctant to do so: Max Verstappen. Red Bull have lost their performance edge over the last 12 months and have embarked on an ambitious plan to build their own power unit for the first time when F1’s new regulations come into force next year.

Red Bull motorsport consultant Helmut Marko has claimed Verstappen could leave the team before his current deal expires if certain performance targets aren’t met. Should Mercedes ensure the door remains ajar for the four-times champion – or make a show of faith in the driver whose career they started backing eight years ago?

For

Verstappen is unlikely to leave Red Bull and if he does Mercedes is unlikely to be his destination.

The four-times world champion understands the importance of consistency within an organisation and the difficulty relocating might involve – as exemplified by Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari. He knows his championship success is the overwhelming priority at Red Bull.

If he does look elsewhere, Aston Martin are far better placed than Mercedes to secure his services. There Verstappen would be reuniting with Adrian Newey, widely regarded as F1’s best designer, and Honda, with whom he has an excellent relationship.

Russell has performed superbly so far this year and given Mercedes no reason to replace him. With the prospects of hiring Verstappen so remote, it’s time to reward him with a confidence-boosting contract extension.

Against

Russell is undoubtedly a top-drawer, race-winning driver with the potential to fight for world championships. But he has not yet proven himself in the particular intensity of a world championship fight.

Verstappen is different: Not only is he a proven champion, but a formidable competitor unlike any other in F1. Not merely an extremely fast driver and ruthless wheel-to-wheel racer, but utterly single-minded in his determination to win.

Some might question whether that approach would work so well outside a team which he has cultivated around himself for nearly a decade. But you can’t fault Mercedes for wanting to bring him within the fold, however remote their chances may appear.

Perhaps this will be the year Russell has the chance to prove himself a genuine title contender. In the meantime, Mercedes’ pursuit of Verstappen makes perfect sense.

I say

Mercedes biding their time over whether to make a bid for Verstappen makes sense as long as it contributes to uncertainty at Red Bull.

That said, Aston Martin seems a likelier ultimate destination for him, if not as early as next year then potentially 2027, after Alonso has seen out the last year of his contract and Verstappen has had the opportunity to assess Red Bull’s first power unit.

It’s true that the longer Mercedes wait to firm up a deal with Russell, the longer it is going to look like it lacks faith in him. But as the driver himself is unlikely to have any better offers on the table, from Mercedes’ point of view, it doesn’t need to rush things.

Mercedes should re-sign Russell and I suspect they ultimately will, but they may prefer speculation to remain centred on Verstappen for now.

You say

Should Mercedes extend Russell’s contract into 2026? Cast your vote below and have your say in the comments.

Do you agree Mercedes should re-sign George Russell for 2026?

  • No opinion (2%)
  • Strongly disagree (11%)
  • Slightly disagree (8%)
  • Neither agree nor disagree (7%)
  • Slightly agree (17%)
  • Strongly agree (54%)

Total Voters: 87

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