George Russell in ‘tough spot’ as Mercedes deal sticking point explained

The reason for the ongoing delay to George Russell’s contract extension with Mercedes has been explained.

Russell is expected to sign a new contract with Mercedes but negotiations have dragged on for longer than anticipated, causing all sorts of speculation about the 27-year-old Briton’s future.

Talks relating to the futures of both Russell and Kimi Antonelli appeared to be on hold amid Mercedes’ pursuit of Max Verstappen, who announced in late July that he would be staying at Red Bull until at least the end of 2026.

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has since confirmed that both Russell and Antonelli will be retained for next season, though the deals are yet to be formally announced.

The length of Russell’s new contract appears to the biggest sticking point, according to F1.com reporter Lawrence Barretto.

“He is 99.99% certain to be on the grid next year – and it will 99.99% be with Mercedes alongside Kimi Antonelli in an unchanged line-up, but negotiations have stretched out,” Barretto wrote.

“How has it come to this? Well, it comes down to the fact that in some phases earlier this year, four-time World Champion Max Verstappen could have been available as early as next year – and that put Mercedes on high alert.

“Up until then, Russell – who had made a great start to the year with three podiums in the first four – was in great shape to secure a multi-year deal, extending a stay that began in 2022 and a relationship that started in 2017 when he joined the Silver Arrows' junior programme.

“Verstappen's potentially availability put the brakes on that but when the Red Bull driver confirmed that he was staying put for 2026, there was no doubt Russell would ultimately stay at Mercedes for next season – but the terms on which he would sign remained unclear.

“With Verstappen contracted to Red Bull until 2028 but still potentially available before that, it's perhaps understandable that Mercedes don't want to lock down both of their seats for the foreseeable future – which naturally will be a frustration for Russell.”

What is the hold up?

Barretto went on to explain that Russell, who claimed his second victory of the 2025 season at the Singapore Grand Prix, has been left in a “tough spot” as he looks to finalise his future with Mercedes.

“While Russell also has done nothing wrong and hasn't lost out to Verstappen for 2026, the fact is there's a real possibility that could happen in the future – and thus he is limited on the length of deal he can agree, despite his sensational form right now,” Barretto continued.

“It's undoubtably a tough spot to be in but, as was proved by what happened with Sainz and Ferrari, these things happen.

“The positive for Russell is that he's driving at an incredibly high level and is one of the top three drivers in the world right now in terms of current performance.

“Once his Mercedes deal is done and announced, he can focus on continuing his superb form and giving the Silver Arrows every reason to keep him.

“And should they decide not to keep him despite that form, he will have no shortage of offers from elsewhere on the grid for 2027, when the driver market is expected to burst into life once again.”

Wolff told Sky Sports F1 in Singapore that a fresh deal for Russell is “super near”.

Following Russell’s fifth career victory, Wolff said: "He's been formidable this year. I haven't seen mistakes. There were weekends that he himself said, 'I could have done more, and it wasn't a good race’.

"But this happens with any driver. You can see when it just merges, the car being in a perfect space, and the driver being on top of things, that becomes a dominant formula, and that is what we've seen here.

"Contract-wise, good things take a while, it's about the detail, and it's not about the big topics."