Oct.27 (GMM) George Russell has finally shed light on the details of his freshly-signed Mercedes contract – and even hinted at the conditions that could one day make him Max Verstappen’s teammate.
The 27-year-old Briton recently extended his deal with Mercedes, but confusion persisted about its length and structure – with speculation ranging from a one-year option to a longer-term agreement including performance clauses.
Now, Russell has clarified that the deal is initially one year, with a conditional renewal option for 2027.
“It’s something I haven’t actually said publicly,” Russell told The Telegraph. “But the deal is, if I’m performing next year, we have a specific clause that if I reach a certain target, we will automatically renew for 2027. So my seat for 2027 is in my hands.”
He added: “I’m not being strung along here. We’re not going to be in the same position as we were six months ago. If I perform, then 100 per cent I’ll be staying.”
According to reports, Russell accepted the shorter deal in exchange for a substantial pay rise and greater control over his off-track activities and future options.
“Everything works out for the best,” he said.
“I actually wanted to sign the deal back in October 2024, but the deal I got today is substantially better than what I would have got had I signed it then. Sometimes you just have to trust in your ability – and I feel I’m only getting stronger.”
Conventional wisdom in the paddock holds that if Verstappen ever joins Mercedes – a rumour tied to the team’s expected engine advantage under the 2026 rules – Russell would be the one to move aside. Yet others believe a Russell-Verstappen pairing could be much stronger than a Verstappen-Antonelli line-up.
Could the two coexist inside the same garage? “We’re fine,” Russell shrugged when asked about Verstappen.
“We just say hello to each other. We don’t really speak, but we don’t ignore each other. I don’t lose sleep over it. And for sure he doesn’t lose sleep over it. So it doesn’t bother me one single bit.”
“Life is short. We’re all adults. You don’t need to be best mates as teammates. Senna and Prost weren’t good friends and they still finished one-two. Lewis and Nico did the same. Obviously Lewis and Fernando is a notable exception – but Lewis should have won that year.
“So yeah, Max is an incredible driver, no denying that. But that’s why I’d relish going up against him. We all believe we’re the best.”
Asked whether Verstappen would feel the same way, Russell smiled: “I don’t see why he wouldn’t.
“I mean, it’s obviously more of a lose-lose situation for him. The same as when I was teammates with Lewis – if he beat me, he was expected to. But if he lost to me, it was a big loss. Or the same with me and Kimi now. But we’re getting well ahead of ourselves here.”
Russell, however, insists that Mercedes’ optimism for the 2026 engine era is genuine.
“That’s not just marketing talk,” he said. “I’d probably say potentially the only ones who wouldn’t swap positions with me would be the McLaren guys.”
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