Russell speaks out on Mercedes deal as Verstappen hype grows

George Russell has spoken out about rumors that he could be replaced by Max Verstappen at Mercedes as soon as next season.

The Brit's contract runs out at the end of 2025, with any talks over an extension not yet yielding any results. With Verstappen reportedly growing unhappy with progress at Red Bull, talk of a move to the historic German manufacturer has grown.

“From my side there’s literally no stress, no worries whatsoever. I think when it comes to contracts everyone gets so excited about it,” Russell said on media day at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

“The fact is, drivers have had contracts and if they don’t perform they get booted out. For drivers, performance is our currency – that’s what we’ve got, and if you perform everything is good, so I’m just excited to go racing this weekend, focus on performance and the future sorts itself out.”

Will Mercedes re-sign Russell or go for Verstappen?

Following Helmut Marko’s comments about his ‘concern’ Verstappen would leave Red Bull, Mercedes team boss, Toto Wolff, set the record straight in Jeddah about his intentions for their 2026 lineup.

Wolff revealed he had not been in contact with Verstappen, and that he was committed to Mercedes’ current lineup of Russell and Kimi Antonelli, with the Brit already achieving three podium finishes in 2025.

Russell did not seem concerned that a contract decision had not been made and added: “At the end of the day we’ve never discussed a contract prior to May or June in a season.”

“I would say the more abnormal point is how many drivers have these long-term deals but everyone has got exit clauses – they’ve all got performance clauses, so a driver who is on a three-year contract, [it] doesn’t really mean anything if they’ve got an exit clause, or the team has an exit clause if the driver doesn’t perform.

“So, as I said, it doesn’t really mean a lot and if you’ve got a contract with a team but the team wants you gone, the team finds a way to get you gone.

“That’s how this sport works and how it should work, because we’re 20 of the best in the world and it’s ruthless, there’s no time to mess around. All you can do is focus on driving fast.”

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