George Russell will be concerned by Toto Wolff’s reported stance on making an imminent Mercedes contract offer for 2026

George Russell is out of contract at the end of the 2025 Formula 1 season. This is hard to imagine given his impressive start to the year.

The Brit has been one of McLaren’s closest challengers this season. Russell has scored four podiums and has not finished outside the top five all year, sitting fourth in the standings.

He has established himself as one of the top drivers in 2025, yet he could find himself out of Mercedes at the end of the year. Teammate Kimi Antonelli is also out of contract in the winter.

Russell says Mercedes are continuing their Lewis Hamilton-era policy on renewing contracts – they do not negotiate deals until after the summer break. However, Toto Wolff could be assessing other options, with Max Verstappen potentially available.

The Dutchman has been linked with an exit from Red Bull since last year, with his frustrations with the RB21 sparking rumours that he could leave before his contract expires in 2028. Mercedes and Aston Martin are the frontrunners to sign him, while Verstappen could also take a sabbatical in 2026.

Lawrence Barretto thinks Toto Wolff is waiting for Max Verstappen to decide his future before signing George Russell

Mercedes held talks with Verstappen last season before he opted to stay at Red Bull. Wolff will surely not want to miss out on the four-time champion a second time if he chooses to leave at the end of the year.

This should be concerning for Russell, as it seems his Mercedes boss has Verstappen higher in the pecking order for 2026. This leaves his F1 future in uncertainty, despite being a championship contender in 2025.

Journalist Lawrence Barretto says Russell has to ‘wait’ as Verstappen has ‘complete control’ over the F1 driver market. He can’t see why Mercedes would commit to signing the Brit unless they know for certain that the Dutchman is off the table.

“I don’t envisage it’s going to be anytime soon, because frankly, there is no rush for Max to do it. Everyone wants him, so he’s got complete control of it,” said Barretto via F1 Nation.

“I think the frustration for George and everyone else is that they essentially have to wait, because I just don’t see why Toto would sign George unless he knows for certain that it’s not possible to get Max.

“And that’s no disrespect to George, it’s to Rob’s point that Max is the greatest driver of his generation. He’s going to be the greatest for the next couple of years to come and Toto needs to get the team back up and running.

“He needs to be a world champion sooner rather than later, so it makes sense that we’re just all playing this waiting game, waiting for Max.

“Even though ironically he’s got a contract until the end of 2028 with Red Bull, he still controls the driver market because he could still leave.”

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Could Red Bull do a straight swap with Mercedes and sign George Russell?

Martin Brundle says Russell’s situation is ‘unusual’ as he suspects the team are holding his feet ‘to the fire’ with his contract. If the Silver Arrows do end up signing Verstappen, there is one obvious destination for the 27-year-old.

Red Bull have held ‘informal’ chats with Russell over a potential deal. However, the Brit’s priority will likely be to stay put at Mercedes.

But he finds himself in an awkward situation with negotiations. It has been suggested that Wolff is unwilling to meet Russell’s salary demands – he wants to be on equal terms with McLaren’s Lando Norris.

Red Bull will only sign Russell if Verstappen leaves, in what would effectively be a straight swap between the teams. The issue is not set to be resolved until the summer break, leaving everyone guessing until then.