George Russell warned Mercedes could drop him even if he wins 2026 F1 title

Ex-F1 driver Karun Chandhok fears that a 2026 world championship win for George Russell might not be enough for him to secure his long-term future with Mercedes.

Ahead of the 2025 F1 United States Grand Prix, Mercedes announced new deals for Russell and Kimi Antonelli.

While Toto Wolff insisted he had no intention of not retaining either driver, there had been some uncertainty amid Mercedes’ interest in signing Max Verstappen.

Wolff “flirted” with the idea of signing the four-time world champion - something he has since admitted he regrets.

This meant that contract negotiations, particularly with Russell, were drawn out.

Russell wanted security in having a deal beyond 2026, as well as a reduction in the number of media-related activities he was required to take part in.

Russell will also be encouraged by paddock rumours suggesting Mercedes could be a championship-winning force again next year when the new technical regulations come into play.

Chandhok’s warning for Russell

Speaking on Ted Kravitz’s Podbook in Austin, Chandhok advised Russell that he needs to be “in the driving seat of his own contract process”.

Currently, Russell is managed by Wolff and Mercedes due to his long-standing association with their junior programme, which he joined in 2017.

“Why not? Well, Frank Williams did it four times. Frank Williams lost four World Champions,” Chandhok said when asked if the 2026 F1 title would guarantee his Mercedes F1 future.

“To me, this whole experience, it should be a kind of a, not a red light, but an orange light, at least for George, that it’s time for him to separate his management away from the race team he’s with.

“It’s put him in the passenger seat of this whole process. It’s been dragged out. In effect, Toto’s been negotiating on both sides of the table for this deal.

“And really, for ‘27, if Max is a contender, and he absolutely is a contender for that seat for ‘27, then George has got to spend, I think, next year trying to get control of his own destiny.

“He needs to put himself in the driving seat of his own contract process, his own decision-making process, and also understand what’s happening [in] the rest of the market. Because, you know, as long as Mercedes has been managing him, why would they do that?

“Whereas he needs to understand, is there an option to go to Aston for ‘27? Is there an option to Ferrari? Who knows what the Honda power unit will be like? Maybe that’s the place to be, or the Audi one. Or the Red Bull Ford.”