Mercedes and George Russell have been one of the most consistently performing duos throughout the 2025 Formula 1 season so far.
The Brit sits fourth in the drivers’ championship and is yet to finish below fifth in a race. The Mercedes car is working well with him behind the wheel.
An important next step for Russell to take is to challenge for race victories, which he hasn’t been that close to so far. He needs some upgrades to push him that little further.
| 2025 F1 races | George Russell results |
| Australian Grand Prix | 3rd |
| Chinese Grand Prix | 3rd |
| Japanese Grand Prix | 5th |
| Bahrain Grand Prix | 2nd |
| Saudi Arabian Grand Prix | 5th |
The European leg of the Formula 1 season should assist in that department, but it’s down to his team regarding how much they want to invest in this year ahead of the 2026 F1 regulations.
Russell has had chats with Red Bull with his contract set to expire at the end of the campaign, but their current form doesn’t suggest they will be a great destination for him.
Even though he’s just 26 points from the top after five events, Toto Wolff has written off Russell’s title chances and isn’t aiming for glory in 2025.
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George Russell faced an ‘unusual’ front tyre problem at Mercedes during the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix
The Saudi Arabian Grand Prix was Mercedes’ worst event of the year so far, but it shouldn’t have come as too much of a surprise.
Their car isn’t particularly suited to fast circuits in hotter climates, even if Mercedes and Russell were ‘caught out’ by their problems.
Auto Motor und Sport reports that engineers spotted an ‘unusual’ problem with the front tyres on their car, which isn’t usually where they struggle with them.
“Jeddah is a track where you can choose whether the front or rear tire is loaded more,” a Mercedes engineer reportedly said.
“We chose the front tire and probably overshot the mark. We were also surprised by how fast the race pace was.”
Russell has a similar advantage to Max Verstappen as he chases a first title. He doesn’t have a teammate who is always clipping on his heels, and he needs to take advantage of it while he can.
READ MORE: How Toto Wolff feels about signing Max Verstappen as George Russell edges closer to new £22.8m-a-year Mercedes deal
Which Formula 1 teams could George Russell sign with for 2026?
Russell has a few options on the table if he wants to sign with another team for 2026, but compared to last season, there are considerably fewer openings.
Teams such as Red Bull, Alpine and Haas could all be interested in his services if continuing with the Silver Arrows isn’t an option.
He has been affiliated with Mercedes since 2017 and has been a full-time driver with them since 2022. Heading into a new set of regulations, having someone as dependable as Russell on their books would be a wise move.
They’re in the rare position of having two openings for 2025 and the choice is completely theirs. In all likelihood, one of Russell or Kimi Antonelli will resign. Both leaving would be an unprecedented move.
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