George Russell has revealed he will not sign a new Mercedes contract during Formula 1’s summer break this month.
Russell, who scored his sixth podium of the season on Sunday at the Hungarian Grand Prix, is the highest-profile F1 driver without a contract for 2026, and the absence of a new deal is particularly notable due to his strong performances this year.
The British driver revealed in June that Mercedes were in talks with Max Verstappen’s camp, but the Dutchman confirmed in Budapest that he will remain at Red Bull next year.
In the Hungarian Grand Prix cool-down room, Mercedes’ George Russell offers ‘advice’ to the McLaren pair which would have resulted in his victory!
“I’m going straight on holiday, I’m going to do 10 days off!” Russell told Sky Sports F1.
“He [Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff] has got nothing to be worried about, I’ve got nothing to be worried about.
“Nothing is going to happen in the summer because I want to have a rest, recharge and come back stronger for the second half of the year.”
Watch the first lap of the Hungarian Grand Prix as Charles Leclerc holds onto the lead while Lando Norris drops places to George Russell and Fernando Alonso
Wolff had previously suggested in May that Russell and Kimi Antonelli, who also does not have a 2026 contract, would be pinned down by the end of the summer break.
Last August in Monza, Mercedes announced Antonelli as Lewis Hamilton’s replacement, and Wolff was asked if the team would wait that length of time to confirm Russell: “No, definitely not that long.
“George and I are totally clear on how this is going to go and 100 per cent alignment. There is no such thing as dragging this on because that’s not what we do.”
Mercedes’ George Russell and Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso battle it out for fourth at the Hungarian Grand Prix
Russell has consistently stated there is “no rush” to sign a contract, despite interest from other teams, including Aston Martin and Cadillac, Sky Sports News understands.
“There’s no time pressure. It will happen, it will happen,” he said.
“It’s when, not if. I’m 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 been waiting 12 months. I’m not just going to rush it over the course of two weeks. We will sit down when the time is right.”
Wolff: No reason not to plan long-term with Russell
Verstappen staying at Red Bull means Russell is, arguably, in a stronger position than Mercedes to agree terms that favour him.
Russell is seen as one of the best drivers on the grid, having produced an impressive 2024 campaign, dominating Lewis Hamilton in qualifying and finishing 22 points clear of his team-mate in the driver’s standings despite losing out on a victory in Belgium because of a disqualification that was not his fault.
The chance to assert himself was further enhanced when Wolff decided to gamble on putting hugely inexperienced Antonelli in the other 2025 Mercedes car, with the Italian teenager sure to need some time to find his feet at motorsport’s top level.
George Russell joins Karun Chandhok at the SkyPad to look back at his pole lap of the Canadian GP
This season has seen Russell do just that, scoring six podiums and taking Mercedes’ only realistic opportunity of winning at the Canadian Grand Prix.
Wolff said: “George has always had good cards because he delivered since 2018. There wasn’t a season he wasn’t there, and nothing changed in our thinking for next year.
“Just because you don’t talk outside, doesn’t mean that things are progressing in your relationship internally.
“When it comes to contract, let’s see. We will come out and say what kind of terms we have put forward.
“Definitely his standing in the team is strong. He has shown again in Budapest, and there’s no reason not to plan with George long-term.”
George Russell says he would pay to fight for a World Championship as he continues his discussions with Mercedes over a new contract
Brundle: Russell will want certainty with contract
Mercedes are expected to be front-runners next year when the new 2026 regulations are introduced, given their record of dominating in 2014 – the last time there were changes to the power units.
Russell will surely push for a multi-year contract if he feels Mercedes will have the car to beat in 2026. If he only gets a one-year deal or a one-year deal with an option for an additional 12 months, then he could face the difficulty of Mercedes looking to sign Verstappen for 2027.
George Russell gatecrashed an interview between Brad Pitt and Craig Slater at the F1 Movie premiere in New York
Russell says his sole ambition is to win and went as far as saying he would “pay” to drive a championship-winning car.
Sky Sports F1‘s Martin Brundle said: “Performance is everything, there’s no doubt about it. They all roughly know what each other earns, so George is not going to want to be underpaid. Why should he be?
“He’ll want some certainty. What he won’t want to do is find himself in this position again next year if Max Verstappen happens to be on the market.
“If I were managing George, I would have said, ‘Don’t say you’ll drive for nothing’ or ‘Don’t say you’ll pay, please, because that’s going to come back and hurt us somewhere’.
“But I know the point he was trying to make. The cards have turned around, haven’t they? Because suddenly George is by far and away the best driver available in the world of Formula 1 who doesn’t have a contract next year.
“So now, suddenly, he’s like, ‘I’m going to slow this down a little bit.’ That’s how I’m reading it.”
Formula 1 returns after the summer break with the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort on August 29-31, live on Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports with NOW – no contract, cancel anytime
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