Jun 15, 2025; Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Second place Red Bull Racing driver Max Verstappen (1) sprays champagne on winner Mercedes driver George Russell (63) at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images

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George Russell Reveals His Contract Delay is Due to Max Verstappen!

George Russell knows his prime competitor for a future contract at Mercedes

George Russell is entering the Austrian Grand Prix on a high note. He is the defending winner of the race in 2024. Russell also won the previous Grand Prix from pole bringing the Silver Arrows to their first double podium and victory in 2025. Although Russell has been performing considerably better than his previous Formula 1 seasons, he still doesn’t have a contract ahead of 2026. The Briton, however, is aiming to stay loyal to Mercedes continuing forward with the Brackley outfit.

There are many delays when it comes to Russell’s new contract. He is pretty confident about his performance and expects Mercedes to retain him for the upcoming season. Similarly, Toto Wolff has also made it clear that they believe in George Russell’s performance and he has been a great asset for the team. But on the other hand, both parties are waiting before making an official announcement about their future.

George Russell Accepts that Mercedes Might Be Pursuing Max Verstappen for 2026

Mercedes have made no intention to turn down any claims of pursuing Max Verstappen. Verstappen is facing a difficult season at Red Bull Racing for one year. He barely hanging on in the driver’s championship. Max has not issued any statement about his intentions to leave Red Bull. However, experts think that other teams are trying to claim him for the upcoming season.

Aston Martin and Mercedes are among the most prominent teams Verstappen is connected to. Max Verstappen enjoyed overflowing success in the past years and is still a force to be reckoned with in Formula 1. Even George Russell agrees that his team would want to sign Max Verstappen for the next season-

“As Mercedes, they want to be back on top, and if you’re going to be back on top you need to make sure you’ve got the best drivers, the best engineers, the best pit crew, and that’s what Mercedes are chasing. So, it’s only normal that conversations with the likes of Verstappen are ongoing. But from my side, if I’m performing as I’m doing, what have I got to be concerned about? There are two seats in every Formula 1 team.”

George Russell has suggested Mercedes' continued pursuit of Max Verstappen is delaying an extension to his expiring contract 📑👀 pic.twitter.com/7cboiH4f2o
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) June 26, 2025

George Russell and Max Verstappen find themselves in a feud quite often. The pair recently collided in Barcelona during the Spanish Grand Prix. It is very unlikely that Toto Wolff would be able to manage a fiery duo like Verstappen and Russell in his team.

Mercedes will have to choose soon. Until then, it seems that Russell will have to rely on his performance and hope that his boss decides to continue with him instead of Max Verstappen.

Formula 1

Formula 1 2025 Season

George Russell

Max Verstappen

Mercedes Formula 1 Team

Rohan Singh

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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.