According to reports, George Russell is set for a $30 million per year contract extension with Mercedes, having just put in an “unbelievable” performance at the Formula 1 Bahrain Grand Prix.
Russell is in a contract year, as his current deal with Mercedes expires at the end of 2025.
With Max Verstappen being a name Toto Wolff has flirted with in the past, Red Bull struggling and Mercedes rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli prospering, the likes of Martin Brundle have said Russell is in a precarious position.
“I think if Max Verstappen sprung into the marketplace, I would be quite worried for George, actually, because Kimi is obviously their man for the future,” Brundle said during his Sky F1 duties.
Still, speaking to select media, including Motorsport Week, earlier this year, Wolff said, “I don’t flirt outside if I’m in a good relationship. So at the moment that [approaching Verstappen] is not on any radar.”
Russell, meanwhile, said, “Performance speaks, so from my side there is no pressure.”
And Russell has put in a string of strong performances for Mercedes, finishing third in Australia and China and most recently, second in Bahrain.
Those results are timely with Red Bull senior advisor Helmut Marko saying to Sky Germany that there is genuine “concern” Verstappen could look elsewhere.
That could have hurried talks from Russell’s camp to get a deal done, and according to Motorsport.com, a contract extension with Mercedes is looming.
The publication reports Russell will sing a two-year extension worth $30 million a year with an option to extend to 2028.
That would be just reward for a driver who has consistently challenged the class-leading McLaren in qualifying and only trails Championship-leader Lando Norris by 14 points, all the while mentoring teenage star Antonelli through the F1 scene.
Wolff hails Russell’s drive with ‘wounded’ Mercedes in Bahrain
Russell’s contract could well have been fast-tracked by Mercedes after his impressive run to second in Bahrain last weekend.
Over the final phase of the GP at the Bahrain International Circuit, Russell had to contend with several technical problems.
A brake-by-wire failure prompted a system reset on Russell’s car, which then triggered an array of problems on the Briton’s W16 steering wheel, whereby buttons and portions of the dash started failing.
As he combatted these issues, Russell also nursed home Soft tyres over the course of 24 laps and held Norris’ charging McLaren at bay to take a strong second-place finish.
“Him managing the system coming in and out, while having Norris behind him, it’s just an unbelievable drive, to be honest, what he did today,” Wolff said on Sunday.
“He secured us this podium. On top of that, taking the soft for such a long time was also great, between managing and then attacking when he needed to.
“And I think it’s probably where, if you haven’t driven a race car that has a [brake by wire], [when it fails] it’s like on a road car when the power-assisted steering fails.
“Then imagine you have to adjust between one corner having it and the next one not having it. That was just very good skill.
“Today it was just an unbelievable drive. Considering the car was wounded, finishing P2 in front of Norris is just really a great result.”
READ MORE – Mercedes: Max Verstappen rumours will stop with new George Russell F1 deal
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