George Russell responds to ‘make Toto Wolff sweat’ contract tactic

George Russell has made it clear he won’t be rushed into signing a new F1 contract with Mercedes, insisting there’s “no time pressure” to finalise a deal over the summer break.

Russell’s F1 future has remained a hot topic throughout the 2025 F1 season.

Like teammate Kimi Antonelli, Russell is out of contract at the end of the year.

Despite his impressive season, Russell’s Mercedes future was in jeopardy up until this weekend, as the team explored the possibility of signing Max Verstappen.

Verstappen ended speculation linking him to Mercedes by confirming he will be a Red Bull driver in 2026 on Thursday ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix.

Russell returned to the podium in Hungary, securing his sixth top-three finish of the year.

Speaking after the race, Russell sent a clear message to Mercedes that he won’t be rushed into signing a new contract.

“I don’t think today was different to what I’ve shown in my whole career. I know what I’m capable of,” Russell said.

“I am going straight on holiday tonight for 10 days off." 

Russell said about negotiations with Toto Wolff when asked if he'd make the boss sweat: "I’ve got nothing to be worried about. I’ve got nothing to be worried about over the summer.

“Honestly, I just want to have a rest, recharge, come back stronger. There is no time pressure either way. It’ll happen when it happens. It’s ‘when’ not ‘if’.

“I am 27 now, I’ve been with the team for four years, next year would be my fifth. We want to build the relationship together but it’s got to be right. I don’t want to rush it, I’ve waited 12 months so I won’t rush it over two weeks.”

Russell outlines key Mercedes goal

It was a welcome return to form for Mercedes in Budapest.

They reverted to an older rear suspension, ditching a recent upgrade.

Their form seemed to have drastically improved, as Russell qualified within a tenth of pole position.

While Russell acknowledged it was a “strange weekend,” given the jumbled pecking order, he wants Mercedes to consistently be ‘best of the rest’ behind McLaren.

“Strange weekend - if you exclude McLaren and look at the order from P3 to P13, it’s quite odd,” he explained.

“You wouldn’t expect Max Verstappen to be so far down, and Aston Martin had an amazing weekend.

“There was a lot going on at the start. Once I got past Lando Norris, I wanted to block him and let Fernando Alonso through, because I knew Lando was too quick.

“That lasted a lap. They are head and shoulders above everyone week-in and week-out. That won’t change this season because everyone is invested in 2026. Our goal is to be the best of the rest.”