When George Russell’s next F1 deal could now be announced amid Toto Wolff chasing Max Verstappen ‘rumours’

Mercedes driver George Russell will feel that he can’t do much more to convince team principal Toto Wolff that he deserves a new contract.

George Russell won the Canadian Grand Prix in impressive fashion, claiming pole position and holding off four-time world champion Max Verstappen.

The Mercedes star was joined on the podium by rookie teammate Andrea Kimi Antonelli for the first time as Toto Wolff celebrated the best weekend of the season for the manufacturer.

It means that Mercedes have put themselves in a strong position to finish second in the constructors’ championship this season ahead of Ferrari and Red Bull.

However, despite this achievement, neither Russell nor Antonelli have been signed up for 2026 yet.

Wolff has been flirting with signing Verstappen for some time and Russell himself has admitted any team would sign Verstappen if they’re given the chance.

Journalist Jon Noble has provided the latest information he’s heard about Russell’s negotiations with Mercedes for next season.

It sounds like the British driver is going to get his wish and remain a driver for the Silver Arrows beyond this campaign.

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George Russell will ‘probably’ sign new Mercedes contract during the summer break

Noble was asked on The Race F1 Podcast if Russell earned a new Mercedes contract with his performance in Canada and replied: “I think it’s probably been earned before today and obviously today is not going to hinder his chances at all.

“Toto was asked about this tonight about contracts and stuff and basically reading between the lines of what he says is that there was no point trying to get a deal done during the triple header.

“We’re now into a flyaway, you’ve got Austria and Silverstone coming up and close towards the summer break and typically contracts are done in that run-up to the summer.

“And I think for all of the rumours about is Toto waiting for Max or chasing Max, I think in the end we’re going to end up with George Russell staying on a probably maybe a one plus one or two plus one deal and it’ll probably be announced over the summer break.”

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George Russell’s team radio explains why Red Bull’s Canadian Grand Prix protest didn’t work

Russell was superb throughout the race in Montreal and always appeared to have the charging Verstappen under control.

He’s been one of the standout drivers on the grid this season and Mercedes would be taking a huge risk by not extending his control, especially with Aston Martin sniffing around Russell.

Lando Norris’ late crash with Oscar Piastri brought out the safety car and created even more controversy during the final laps.

Fans were left furious by how long the FIA took to confirm the result as Red Bull lodged a protest against Russell’s victory.

They believed that Russell didn’t follow safety car procedures and that he was trying to catch Verstappen out given how close he is to a one-race ban.

However, Russell’s team radio highlights that he was following the rules behind the safety car, and even after the race, Verstappen explained that both drivers wanted the safety car to speed up.

Team principal Christian Horner has held informal talks with Russell over a move to Red Bull should Verstappen move on, however, this scenario looks less and less likely.

The 27-year-old might not be too pleased with Horner trying to take his latest victory away, although he was only acting in the best interests of his team.