George Russell's stellar performances this season might still leave him fighting to secure his place at Mercedes.
While 18-year-old newcomer Kimi Antonelli is locked into a long-term arrangement under Toto Wolff's guidance, Russell, an established name, faces a contract renewal at year's end.
Team principal Wolff seems to be navigating a delicate balance—praising Russell as one of Formula 1's top three drivers while keeping the door ajar for a potential 2026 move for Max Verstappen.
Off the track, the 27-year-old Russell is drawing attention to himself, claiming McLaren's current edge surpasses even Red Bull's dominance of recent years. "Right," Lando Norris retorted in the Telegraph. "I thought he was a bit smarter than that, but clearly not.
"George thinks he can play a lot of games but I don't fall for any of them."
Previously overshadowed by Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes, Russell is now earning praise from analysts. "I don't think Russell is very cool, but he is doing really well," former F1 driver Christijan Albers told De Telegraaf. "He is reasonably consistent, and in qualifying he is always there. He is still Mr Saturday.
"In China he was really good again," he added.
Yet De Telegraaf's F1 journalist Erik van Haren questions: "What is Mercedes going to do with him?
"If they were so convinced about him, and think he is a superstar, they would have extended his contract a long time ago. If you look at the other teams, you see that their top drivers are tied up for the long term.
"I have the feeling that Wolff will wait a few more races to see what happens next door at Red Bull. It could very well be that Verstappen becomes available after all, and Wolff doesn't want to miss that chance."
Rumours suggest Wolff offered Verstappen a staggering 100 million euros annually to join Mercedes over the winter—an offer declined. "If it doesn't work out again," van Haren notes, "he will of course extend Russell's contract. But if he can get Verstappen, and that is a realistic scenario, then I think Toto will want to do that. And I don't think Toto will want to lose Antonelli after one year."
Albers highlights another hurdle for Russell: his frosty relationship with four-time world champion Verstappen. "That wouldn't work out," he said. "You can tell that Toto is already busy with Zak Brown to poke around everywhere. He also uses Zak for certain statements.
"They are at least busy making life difficult for Christian Horner."
If Mercedes opts for a Verstappen-Antonelli pairing in 2026, van Haren predicts: "Then Russell can go to Red Bull."
