George Russell may be a dark horse candidate for a title fight largely dominated by McLaren, but that doesn’t mean he has a contract for 2026 and beyond.

Mercedes’ delay in re-signing their top driver has sparked Sky Sports F1 pundit Martin Brundle to speculate on whether or not the team is trying to keep him on his toes.

Brundle questions ‘unusual’ George Russell contract situation

George Russell is in a contract year, but Mercedes have yet to make any moves to secure his future.

Currently sitting fourth in the championship standings, Russell is something of a ‘dark horse’ candidate for the title. He’s taken three podiums in the first five races, alongside two fifths, in a show of remarkable consistency.

Despite that, Mercedes have remained quiet about Russell’s future with the team, allowing speculation about a possible shock signing of someone like Max Verstappen to run rampant.

Both Russell and the team have refrained from ringing any alarm bells — but that doesn’t mean everyone feels the same way.

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But for Sky Sports F1 analyst Martin Brundle, the delay in sealing the deal on Russell’s contract is cause for concern.

“Mercedes say, look, we are his management as well as his employer, and it’s all under control. We’ll sort it out later in the year,” Brundle said.

“But it would put his mind to rest, I’m sure, if he had a contract; a driver of his stature would normally be signed up well before the last few months of a contract. That’s just a fact.”

And yet, there’s a delay.

Brundle continued, “Everybody seems quite calm about it, but I think it’s unusual — maybe they want to hold his feet to the fire a little bit.”

Russell has stated that he finds it “abnormal” that contract negotiations are taking place so early in the season; he pointed out that, in the past, most negotiations took place during the summer. He attributed 2024’s early contract signings to Lewis Hamilton’s February announcement that he’d leave Mercedes for Ferrari.

Whatever the case, it’s almost guaranteed that a contract now would make life easier for the Briton — particularly as teammate Kimi Antonelli has emerged as a strong performer.

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