George Russell’s brilliant pole position at the Canadian Grand Prix has provided a timely argument for his continuation with Mercedes, and team principal Toto Wolff isn’t hiding from this fact. Showering the driver with praise ahead of the Grand Prix, he admitted that his future will be finalised sooner rather than later.
Russell is the only high-profile driver going into 2026 without a confirmed seat with his contract at the Brackley outfit coming to an end at the close of this season. This comes despite his excellent performance this season with the driver currently sitting fourth in the drivers’ standings ahead of both Ferrari drivers.
Speaking with Sky Sports, Wolff revealed that this has not gone unnoticed.
“He’s giving us all the reasons to do that quickly,” he admitted. “We know what he’s capable of doing and he has been leading this team now since a while. He has the pace and the right attitude.
“He’s been a Mercedes junior [for] such a long time, and we are on track in doing what we’ve always planned.”
Previously, Wolff has named Russell as being among the “top three” drivers of the sport. But it’s one of the other two the Briton is wary of: Max Verstappen.
George Russell, Mercedes
Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images
“It’s understandable – the likes of Max have always been on the radar because why wouldn’t he be on the radar? He’s one of the GOATs and I get that,” Russell said on the Thursday ahead of the race weekend, hinting that his deal with Mercedes may not be as safe as it’s being made out to be.
“But then it’s down to you to prove your worth. And I feel I’ve done that time and time again over the course of seven years in F1 and my whole career. So I’ve got no concerns.”
Verstappen has been linked to the Silver Arrows since Red Bull’s turbulent 2024 season. And with the reigning champion now struggling with his car, there is further speculation that he could be looking outside of Milton Keynes, despite the driver consistently denying this.
Wolff himself had admitted that he’d talked with the Dutchman when Lewis Hamilton confirmed he was moving to Ferrari last year, but nothing further came to fruition. Today, Russell will be hoping to convert his pole into a race win – his first of the 2025 season – to bolster his contract negotiations, regardless of who’s in Wolff’s crosshairs or not.
