George Russell has expressed that he has “no stress” about his contractual situation amid reports that he is close to penning a new deal with Mercedes in Formula 1.
Russell’s remarkable start to the campaign – his fourth with Mercedes – has prompted speculation that he is poised to sign an extended multi-term deal with the team.
The Briton has stepped up in his revised role as the recognised team leader at Mercedes since Lewis Hamilton’s exit to Ferrari, attaining three podiums in four rounds.
But when probed on whether he is in line to renew with Mercedes, an environment that he has been embedded in since 2017, Russell resorted to a quip over the issue.
“I’ll be racing for Mercedes this weekend and next weekend as well,” Russell remarked prior to this weekend’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
The three-time F1 race winner, though, has suggested that an agreement is close as he revealed that the reports that arose earlier this week do hold some substance.
“A few of them are reasonably close I guess, but at the end of the day we’ve never discussed a contract prior to May or June in a season,” he expanded.
Russell not concerned about Mercedes seat
Russell’s envisaged renewal comes amid renewed rumours about Max Verstappen’s position at Red Bull and whether Mercedes will reignite its long-standing interest.
However, Russell, who is paired with rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli, has dismissed that he has ever retained concerns that his place at Mercedes could be under threat.
“From my side there’s literally no stress, no worries whatsoever,” he insisted. “I think when it comes to contracts everyone gets so excited about it.
“The fact is, drivers have had contracts and if they don’t perform they get booted out.
“For drivers, performance is our currency – that’s what we’ve got, and if you perform everything is good.
“So I’m just excited to go racing this weekend, focus on performance and the future sorts itself out.
“I would say the more abnormal point is how many drivers have these long-term deals, but everyone has got exit clauses – they’ve all got performance clauses.
“So a driver who is on a three-year contract, [it] doesn’t really mean anything if they’ve got an exit clause, or the team has an exit clause if the driver doesn’t perform.
“So, as I said, it doesn’t really mean a lot and if you’ve got a contract with a team but the team wants you gone, the team finds a way to get you gone.
“That’s how this sport works and how it should work, because we’re 20 of the best in the world and it’s ruthless, there’s no time to mess around. All you can do is focus on driving fast.”
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