Jun 15, 2025; Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Winner of the F1 Canadian Grand Prix Mercedes driver George Russell (63) reacts before receiving his trophy at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images

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George Russell Might Have to Wait Longer for His New Contract!

Toto Wolff gives his verdict on George Russell contract evaluation after latest victory!

George Russell is getting ready for the next race weekend in Austria. He was able to bring a lot of success to his team a fortnight ago. Russell who has been claiming podiums regularly for his team won his first race in Canada. Starting the race from pole position, Russell took advantage of his car’s straight line pace.

Since his victory, there are many questions about his seat in the upcoming season. George Russell does not have a contract for the 2026 F1 season. Russell is rather carefree about his future in Formula 1. The Briton is confident in his abilities and talks about staying loyal to Mercedes F1 for the upcoming seasons. It looks like Mercedes boss, Toto Wolff, shares his sentiments regarding a new contract. Wolff has shared new information regarding Russell’s contract.

Canadian Grand Prix Victory Won’t Accelerate George Russell’s Contract Chances, Says Wolff

George Russell is a part of the championship battle in 2025. The Briton’s performance has kept the Silver Arrows on par with their competitors. After his regular podiums and victory in Canada, there were talks about his contract extension. But, Toto Wolff is not going to rush his decision with Russell.

George Russell put in a superb lap in the qualifying session during the Canadian Grand Prix. The Mercedes team principal remarked that Russell was giving them more reasons to resign for the next season. Russell was also involved in a feud with fellow driver Max Verstappen but Wolff put it away calling it healthy rivalry between the drivers on track. Talking about Russell’s chances for a new contract with Silver Arrows, Wolff said-

George Russell's Canada victory has no bearing on any new deal at Mercedes, according to Toto Wolff – stating that he knows Russell "can perform" 👊

Wolff has hinted that Mercedes have a "timeline" for signing a new contract 👇#F1 https://t.co/kSLG89bbOQ
— Formula 1 (@F1) June 21, 2025

“He’s been so long with us and he’s growing – the steps he’s made from that young driver in Williams, then coming to Mercedes at a difficult time, being on par with Lewis and then since Lewis left being clearly the senior driver in the team, and it comes natural.”

“It’s not like there’s some politics. He’s just taken the place that he merits and deserves. The ambience in the team is great, and we’ve agreed on some kind of timeline when we want to settle these things.”

Toto Wolff insists that whether or not Russell wins races or claims podiums is not going to affect his evaluation. He put in full confidence in his driver as he has been with Mercedes since his junior days. There are no doubts one seat at Mercedes is effectively going to Kimi Antonelli. But, there were also rumors about Max Verstappen making the switch to Mercedes. Toto Wolff once wanted Max in his team. But his recent interview definitely highlights his intentions to retain Russell.

Austrian Grand Prix

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Formula 1 2025 Season

George Russell

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I work as a Writer at The Playoffs specialising in NHL, Formula 1 and Motorsports. I got into online journalism a couple of years ago. I used to be an intern for a website managing their Formula 1 content and then I served an entire year as a contractual writer.