George Russell is out of contract with Mercedes after the 2025 Formula 1 season and faces a potential fight to remain at the Silver Arrows with Max Verstappen an option.
The 27-year-old has been in Brackley since the 2022 term after Mercedes promoted Russell from Williams to replace Valtteri Bottas. It marked the culmination of his journey that began in 2017 when the Briton joined the Silver Arrows’ academy and yielded his F1 debut in 2019.
Yet despite Russell even stepping up to replace Lewis Hamilton to be Mercedes’ team leader this year, the King’s Lynn native has an uncertain future. Mercedes are still looking at signing Verstappen for 2026, as Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli are both set to be out of contract.
Mercedes only gave Antonelli a one-year deal to replace Hamilton in his rookie F1 campaign. Team principal Toto Wolff also last gave Russell new terms in August 2023, which locked him in through the 2025 F1 season, and is even using Mercedes’ vacancies as a negotiating tool.
Toto Wolff is unlikely to give George Russell a Mercedes pay rise close to Lando Norris’ McLaren wage
That is according to Auto Action, which notes that Wolff knows Mercedes have time on their hands to decide on their driver line-up for 2026 and they are under no pressure to give in to Russell’s demands as he does not have any other option to race for a top team next season.
Verstappen leaving Red Bull would open a vacancy and their team principal Christian Horner believes it would be ‘foolish’ not to consider Russell. But Red Bull will run their own engines for the first time under the 2026 F1 regulations and are not expected to remain a top team.
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McLaren and Ferrari also have their driver line-ups locked in for at least 2026. It is even said that there is no chance of Russell joining Aston Martin as they become Honda’s works team in 2026 as his camp and Lawrence Stroll have not recovered from a massive fallout in 2016.
So, while Wolff claims Russell is one of the top-three F1 drivers in 2025 and has the talent to become the best, he is unlikely to offer a substantial pay rise given Mercedes should have an advantage with their 2026 power unit and may be competitive with whoever is in their cars.
Russell feels he is entitled to a pay rise given his superb start to the 2025 F1 season, with the Briton the only driver to finish every competitive session yet in the top five. He is also fourth in the F1 standings after a career-best start to a term with three podiums in five Grands Prix.
Mercedes saw Russell secure third in the first two Grands Prix in Australia and China before securing second in Bahrain. So, Russell feels he merits a similar salary to what McLaren and Ferrari pay Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc to sign a new contract with Mercedes for 2026.
George Russell wants to stay at Mercedes in 2026 but faces competition from Max Verstappen
Staying at Mercedes in 2026 is Russell’s preferred option over joining any other team, and is showing the Silver Arrows why he should be kept on after filling Hamilton’s void as the team leader. Gabriel Bortoleto thinks Russell is ‘one of the best’ F1 drivers given his form, as well.
But the three-time Grand Prix winner’s desire is not entirely matched by the Brackley outfit. Russell is secondary to Verstappen in Mercedes’ plans for 2026 with Wolff looking to finally land the four-time defending F1 champion, having missed out to Red Bull back in his youth.
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So, while Russell wants to be paid similar to what Norris, a five-time Grand Prix winner, and Leclerc, an eight-time Grand Prix winner, earn at McLaren and Ferrari, Mercedes boss Wolff holds the cards. Only if Verstappen opts to stay at Red Bull may Russell take the upper hand.
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