The unwritten guidelines of contract negotiations in Components 1 state that prize property must be stored beneath lock and key. But one of many star performers of the 2025 season, George Russell, nonetheless doesn’t have a Mercedes contract in his pocket for subsequent 12 months. Even after crowning a powerful marketing campaign so far with victory from pole place within the Canadian Grand Prix, he shrugged off solutions there’s trigger to fret, saying, “I’m not involved in any respect about subsequent 12 months; I do know I’m going to be on the grid,” however till he places pen to paper the uncertainty about the place stays.
That applies to Mercedes as a lot as Russell. Whereas the 27-year-old has been on its books because the begin of 2017, his state of affairs means that he’s obliged to guage alternatives elsewhere and there’s no lack of groups who would have an interest even when there are few apparent vacancies for subsequent 12 months. Every little thing factors to a brand new Mercedes deal, and shortly, though the hesitation is all about Max Verstappen. Mercedes and crew principal Toto Wolff have flirted with Verstappen for a while, and whereas there’s even an outdoor likelihood the reigning world champion may power his manner out of Crimson Bull the door will likely be stored open. With the possibilities of that receding, an prolonged keep for Russell appears probably.
“He’s been so lengthy with us and he is rising,” mentioned Wolff after Russell’s Montreal win. “The steps he is produced from the younger driver in Williams, then coming to Mercedes at a troublesome time, being on par with Lewis [Hamilton] after which since Lewis left being clearly the chief of the crew, it comes naturally. It isn’t like there’s some politics. He’s simply taken the place that he deserves and deserves.
“The atmosphere within the crew is nice and we have agreed on some type of timeline once we need to settle this stuff, with tripleheaders getting out of the way in which and one race after the opposite now in June and July. However we’ll get there.”
It is a win-win state of affairs for Mercedes. Signing Verstappen could be a no brainer for any crew given he’s F1’s pre-eminent driver, single-handedly retaining Crimson Bull close to the entrance, but it surely’s a long-shot at finest and in Russell Mercedes already has an excellent driver in place. Kimi Antonelli, who’s producing however not but nice rookie marketing campaign, is on a long-term deal, so it could be Russell who could be reluctantly sacrificed if a change had been made. Given how a lot Mercedes has invested in him, it’s virtually for the very best that Verstappen isn’t obtainable as it could be a giant name to sacrifice a driver you’ve developed, particularly one working at such a excessive stage.
Russell’s rise to close the highest of F1 has been certainly one of sustained progress, beginning along with his early promising performances in an uncompetitive Williams in 2019 and rising to some dizzying peaks with the crew – notably his wonderful second place on the grid within the moist at Spa in his third season. Whereas that farcical race-that-never-was means that is usually ignored, what was technically his first F1 podium end in 2021 was totally deserved because of that sensational lap. He’d already served discover of his front-running credentials by all however profitable the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix on his one stand-in outing for Mercedes in direction of the tip of his second season in F1. If something, his promotion to Mercedes for his fourth 12 months in 2022 got here a 12 months late. Russell would absolutely agree, given his arrival coincided with the Mercedes domination of F1 – profitable 15 out of a possible 16 world championships over the earlier eight seasons – ending.
That’s to not say that Russell was with out jagged edges that wanted rounding off throughout his Williams stint. Like all inexperienced drivers, there have been errors, most notoriously crashing beneath the protection automotive whereas heading in the right direction for his first factors at Imola in 2020 (dubbing it an “beginner mistake”) then wiping out Mercedes stablemate Valtteri Bottas on the similar monitor a 12 months later. That was a humbling lesson given his preliminary defiance gave approach to apology, a climbdown past some much less strong drivers mentally.
The tendency to make errors carried over into his Mercedes profession. He made a big effect by performing nicely in comparison with Hamilton in his first season in 2022, albeit whereas nonetheless on a steep studying curve by way of with the ability to match his teammate’s tire administration. There have been errors too, together with clashing with Mick Schumacher at Singapore – an incident that he largely evaded criticism for – however nothing too problematic. His crowning glory was in Brazil the place he received each the dash and the grand prix, the latter holding off Hamilton within the closing phases.
Russell’s upward curve wavered in 2023 as whereas he remained fast, the errors began to turn into an issue – an off throughout the Monaco Grand Prix, crashing in Canada, clipping the wall and firing himself into the barrier whereas third on the final lap in Singapore as he regarded for a well past Lando Norris, and colliding with Verstappen in Las Vegas. By his personal measure it was “a extremely scrappy, messy season.”
The tempo has all the time been there, however in 2025 Russell has proven better resilience beneath strain too. James Sutton/Getty Pictures
Final 12 months felt like a possible inflection level, both confirming Russell was a fast however erratic racer who may very well be relied upon to select up occasional wins in the correct equipment or displaying he actually had the power to be a serial winner. He proved to be the latter, producing a robust season through which he comprehensively outperformed Hamilton in qualifying and raced nicely. Victories in Austria – lucky given the late Norris/Verstappen crash however a reward for having locked down third place behind them in a automotive that would do no higher – Las Vegas and on-the-road earlier than his exclusion for the automotive being underweight at Spa had been the consequence. In truth, Russell felt the Belgian Grand Prix “win” was his finest, the consequence of a well-managed one-stopper that he pushed for.
However Russell’s calling card was his qualifying supremacy over Hamilton – on adjusted common 0.215% quicker, which equates to 0.172s over an 80-second lap. Of their first two years collectively the battle swung forwards and backwards, however in 2024 Hamilton was dominated in qualifying in a manner that had by no means occurred earlier than. Whereas Russell accepts the driving type demanded of the present technology of floor impact automobiles performed its half, he additionally burdened qualifying has lengthy been a energy.
“My pure driving type has labored nicely in these automobiles,” he mentioned on the finish of the season. “However equally, my qualifying information towards my teammates within the earlier technology [of cars] had been good, and in each class my qualifying information have been robust. So I do not suppose there’s something explicit with this technology. However clearly Lewis has been my hardest teammate, in order that’s why it has been highlighted a bit extra.”
Hamilton’s struggles have continued at Ferrari. His late-braking type and discomfort with an excessive amount of high-speed rear instability usually are not appropriate with floor impact automobiles that have a tendency in direction of understeer into the slower corners and oversteer within the quick turns. Russell’s benefit is he’s a clean driver who tends in direction of being earlier on the brakes to settle the automotive and due to this fact make sure the aerodynamic platform is well-balanced. He then combines that with monumental dedication by way of entry pace. Whereas early braking may sound conservative, it’s important to govern the automotive on the brakes to get the entrance finish into the corners and that’s a method Verstappen and Charles Leclerc additionally shortly acquired on prime of when the present floor impact automobiles had been launched in 2025.
To date this season, Russell has largely been untroubled by Antonelli – the exception being qualifying in Miami the place in each the dash and fundamental classes he struggled to get the tires within the window. That’s an outlier given typically he has excelled on that rating this 12 months, getting startlingly near pole place on a lot of events earlier than lastly breaking by way of in Canada.
So what of the long run? No matter the place he’s in 2026 – and barring an sudden driver market twist it is going to be Mercedes – his nascent battle with Verstappen is an interesting one. He’s made his intent to defy F1’s prime canine emphatically clear each on monitor and in what he says off it, most famously criticizing him for bullying different drivers. The duo has had a collection of flare-ups, with the Qatar qualifying session when Russell, cleverly or cynically relying in your perspective, induced Verstappen into selecting up penalty for impeding. That led to some harsh phrases from Verstappen after profitable the race which Russell used as a purpose to offer him each barrels in very calculated media interviews in Abu Dhabi – the primary with a small media group together with RACER.
Verstappen will get in loads of drivers’ heads, however may or not it’s the opposite manner round with Russell? Clive Rose/Getty Pictures
It is an intriguing battle, one which has solely been sporadic so far given the various competitiveness of the Crimson Bull and Mercedes automobiles lately. Russell sees himself as a driver able to standing as much as Verstappen and beating him, laying down a collection of markers he hopes will give him the higher hand in the event that they do battle for a championship someday. Whereas Verstappen will again himself to be faster than Russell, he has proven indicators of letting the Mercedes driver get to him. In Montreal, Russell made a quip after taking pole place about having extra license penalty factors to play with and Verstappen made it clear with what he mentioned afterwards that he was fed up with references to being one level away from a one-race ban being triggered. Russell in all probability sees that as a win within the psychological battle.
Russell and Verstappen’s F1 fates are intertwined, however regardless of the circumstances the duo seem destined someday to have a season the place they usually do battle on monitor – and present efficiency traits imply that would even be one thing the second half of 2025 has in retailer. It’s a tantalizing prospect as whereas Verstappen could be favourite, as he’s proven again and again that he’s one of many all-time greats, Russell has set himself as much as be the motive force who topples him.
The query now’s whether or not Russell has the razor-sharp edge by way of tempo and racecraft to make good on this ambition. Whether or not he succeeds or fails, the battle may very well be F1 field workplace gold.
