The unwritten guidelines of contract negotiations in Method 1 state that prize property needs to be stored underneath lock and key. But one of many star performers of the 2025 season, George Russell, nonetheless doesn’t have a Mercedes contract in his pocket for subsequent yr. Even after crowning a formidable marketing campaign up to now with victory from pole place within the Canadian Grand Prix, he shrugged off ideas there’s trigger to fret, saying, “I’m not involved in any respect about subsequent yr; I do know I’m going to be on the grid,” however till he places pen to paper the uncertainty about the place stays.
That applies to Mercedes as a lot as Russell. Whereas the 27-year-old has been on its books for the reason that begin of 2017, his scenario means that he’s obliged to guage alternatives elsewhere and there’s no lack of groups who would have an interest even when there are few apparent vacancies for subsequent yr. All the pieces factors to a brand new Mercedes deal, and shortly, though the hesitation is all about Max Verstappen. Mercedes and crew principal Toto Wolff have flirted with Verstappen for a while, and whereas there’s even an outdoor probability the reigning world champion would possibly power his means out of Purple Bull the door can be stored open. With the possibilities of that receding, an prolonged keep for Russell appears probably.
“He’s been so lengthy with us and he is rising,” stated Wolff after Russell’s Montreal win. “The steps he is comprised of the younger driver in Williams, then coming to Mercedes at a troublesome time, being on par with Lewis [Hamilton] after which since Lewis left being clearly the chief of the crew, it comes naturally. It isn’t like there’s some politics. He’s simply taken the place that he deserves and deserves.
“The atmosphere within the crew is nice and we have agreed on some form of timeline once we wish to settle these items, with tripleheaders getting out of the best way and one race after the opposite now in June and July. However we will get there.”
It is a win-win scenario for Mercedes. Signing Verstappen can be a no brainer for any crew given he’s F1’s pre-eminent driver, single-handedly conserving Purple Bull close to the entrance, but it surely’s a long-shot at finest and in Russell Mercedes already has an excellent driver in place. Kimi Antonelli, who’s producing an excellent however not but nice rookie marketing campaign, is on a long-term deal, so it could be Russell who can be reluctantly sacrificed if a change had been made. Given how a lot Mercedes has invested in him, it’s nearly for the most effective that Verstappen isn’t out there as it could be a giant name to sacrifice a driver you’ve developed, particularly one working at such a excessive degree.
Russell’s rise to close the highest of F1 has been considered one of sustained progress, beginning along with his early promising performances in an uncompetitive Williams in 2019 and rising to some dizzying peaks with the crew – notably his superb second place on the grid within the moist at Spa in his third season. Whereas that farcical race-that-never-was means that is typically missed, what was technically his first F1 podium end in 2021 was absolutely deserved because of that sensational lap. He’d already served discover of his front-running credentials by all however profitable the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix on his one stand-in outing for Mercedes in the direction of the tip of his second season in F1. If something, his promotion to Mercedes for his fourth yr in 2022 got here a yr late. Russell would certainly agree, given his arrival coincided with the Mercedes domination of F1 – profitable 15 out of a possible 16 world championships over the earlier eight seasons – ending.
That’s to not say that Russell was with out jagged edges that wanted rounding off throughout his Williams stint. Like all inexperienced drivers, there have been errors, most notoriously crashing underneath the protection automobile whereas on target for his first factors at Imola in 2020 (dubbing it an “beginner mistake”) then wiping out Mercedes stablemate Valtteri Bottas on the identical observe a yr later. That was a humbling lesson given his preliminary defiance gave strategy to apology, a climbdown past some much less strong drivers mentally.
The tendency to make errors carried over into his Mercedes profession. He made a big effect by performing properly in comparison with Hamilton in his first season in 2022, albeit whereas nonetheless on a steep studying curve by way of with the ability to match his teammate’s tire administration. There have been errors too, together with clashing with Mick Schumacher at Singapore – an incident that he largely evaded criticism for – however nothing too problematic. His crowning glory was in Brazil the place he gained each the dash and the grand prix, the latter holding off Hamilton within the closing phases.
Russell’s upward curve wavered in 2023 as whereas he remained fast, the errors began to grow to be an issue – an off in the course of the Monaco Grand Prix, crashing in Canada, clipping the wall and firing himself into the barrier whereas third on the final lap in Singapore as he seemed for a well beyond Lando Norris, and colliding with Verstappen in Las Vegas. By his personal measure it was “a very scrappy, messy season.”
The tempo has at all times been there, however in 2025 Russell has proven higher resilience underneath strain too. James Sutton/Getty Pictures
Final yr felt like a possible inflection level, both confirming Russell was a fast however erratic racer who could possibly be relied upon to select up occasional wins in the correct equipment or displaying he actually had the power to be a serial winner. He proved to be the latter, producing a robust season by which he comprehensively outperformed Hamilton in qualifying and raced properly. Victories in Austria – lucky given the late Norris/Verstappen crash however a reward for having locked down third place behind them in a automobile that would do no higher – Las Vegas and on-the-road earlier than his exclusion for the automobile being underweight at Spa had been the end result. In reality, Russell felt the Belgian Grand Prix “win” was his finest, the consequence of a well-managed one-stopper that he pushed for.
However Russell’s calling card was his qualifying supremacy over Hamilton – on adjusted common 0.215% sooner, which equates to 0.172s over an 80-second lap. Of their first two years collectively the battle swung forwards and backwards, however in 2024 Hamilton was dominated in qualifying in a means that had by no means occurred earlier than. Whereas Russell accepts the driving type demanded of the present technology of floor impact vehicles performed its half, he additionally confused qualifying has lengthy been a energy.
“My pure driving type has labored properly in these vehicles,” he stated on the finish of the season. “However equally, my qualifying data in opposition to my teammates within the earlier technology [of cars] had been good, and in each class my qualifying data have been sturdy. So I do not assume there’s something specific with this technology. However clearly Lewis has been my hardest teammate, in order that’s why it has been highlighted a bit extra.”
Hamilton’s struggles have continued at Ferrari. His late-braking type and discomfort with an excessive amount of high-speed rear instability aren’t appropriate with floor impact vehicles that have a tendency in the direction of understeer into the slower corners and oversteer within the quick turns. Russell’s benefit is he’s a clean driver who tends in the direction of being earlier on the brakes to settle the automobile and subsequently make sure the aerodynamic platform is well-balanced. He then combines that with monumental dedication by way of entry pace. Whereas early braking would possibly sound conservative, it’s important to govern the automobile on the brakes to get the entrance finish into the corners and that’s a method Verstappen and Charles Leclerc additionally shortly received on prime of when the present floor impact vehicles had been launched in 2025.
To this point this season, Russell has largely been untroubled by Antonelli – the exception being qualifying in Miami the place in each the dash and primary classes he struggled to get the tires within the window. That’s an outlier given typically he has excelled on that rating this yr, getting startlingly near pole place on plenty of events earlier than lastly breaking by means of in Canada.
So what of the long run? No matter the place he’s in 2026 – and barring an surprising driver market twist it is going to be Mercedes – his nascent battle with Verstappen is a captivating one. He’s made his intent to defy F1’s prime canine emphatically clear each on observe and in what he says off it, most famously criticizing him for bullying different drivers. The duo has had a sequence of flare-ups, with the Qatar qualifying session when Russell, cleverly or cynically relying in your perspective, induced Verstappen into choosing up penalty for impeding. That led to some harsh phrases from Verstappen after profitable the race which Russell used as a purpose to offer him each barrels in very calculated media interviews in Abu Dhabi – the primary with a small media group together with RACER.
Verstappen will get in lots of drivers’ heads, however might or not it’s the opposite means round with Russell? Clive Rose/Getty Pictures
It is an intriguing battle, one which has solely been sporadic up to now given the various competitiveness of the Purple Bull and Mercedes vehicles in recent times. Russell sees himself as a driver able to standing as much as Verstappen and beating him, laying down a sequence of markers he hopes will give him the higher hand in the event that they do battle for a championship at some point. Whereas Verstappen will again himself to be faster than Russell, he has proven indicators of letting the Mercedes driver get to him. In Montreal, Russell made a quip after taking pole place about having extra license penalty factors to play with and Verstappen made it clear with what he stated afterwards that he was fed up with references to being one level away from a one-race ban being triggered. Russell most likely sees that as a win within the psychological battle.
Russell and Verstappen’s F1 fates are intertwined, however regardless of the circumstances the duo seem destined at some point to have a season the place they commonly do battle on observe – and present efficiency tendencies imply that would even be one thing the second half of 2025 has in retailer. It’s a tantalizing prospect as whereas Verstappen can be favourite, as he’s proven repeatedly that he’s one of many all-time greats, Russell has set himself as much as be the driving force who topples him.
The query now could be whether or not Russell has the razor-sharp edge by way of tempo and racecraft to make good on this ambition. Whether or not he succeeds or fails, the battle could possibly be F1 field workplace gold.
