George Russell has made a surprising admission about a clause in his new Mercedes Formula 1 contract, the team having recently confirmed he will stay with the German marque.
The Brackley-based squad announced earlier this month that both Russell and his rookie team-mate Andrea Kimi Antonelli would be remaining for 2026.
Russell and Antonelli’s continuity with Mercedes ended longstanding speculation about the whereabouts of the Brit, with talks about his contract negotiations rumbling on across the summer.
Much of the rumours had begun with additional speculation that Max Verstappen had held talks with Team Principal Toto Wolff about a potential switch ahead of next year’s new technical regulations.
But Russell revealed to The Telegraph that the deal is performance-based, and that will determine whether it translates into a multi-year deal.
“It is something I haven’t actually said publicly, but the deal is, if I’m performing [next year], we have a specific clause that if I reach [a certain target], we will automatically renew for 2027,” he said.
“So my seat for 2027 is in my hands. So I’m not being strung along here. We’re not going to be in the same position as we were six months ago.
“If I perform, and I don’t want to go into details, but if I perform, then 100% I’ll be staying.”
Russell reveals Mercedes has given a better deal than initial offer
Russell also revealed that Mercedes’ delay in signing the deal was beneficial to him, as he now has better terms than what he had on the table when he originally wanted to put pen to paper a year ago.
“Everything works out for the best,” he said. “I actually wanted to sign the deal back in October 2024 but the deal I got today is substantially better than what I would have got had I signed it then.
“So, yeah, sometimes I think you just have to trust in your ability and I feel I’m only getting stronger.”
Much of the speculation around the potential Verstappen switch largely left many believing that Russell would be the driver to make way, with Antonelli naturally viewed as a future prospect.
But Russell did reveal that it would have been Antonelli who would have made way, and a Verstappen-Russell pairing would have been something the 27-year-old would have had no qualms in facing.
“You don’t need to be best mates as team-mates,” he said. “Senna and Prost weren’t good friends and they still finished one-two.
“Lewis [Hamilton] and Nico [Rosberg], one-two. Obviously Lewis and Fernando [Alonso] is a notable exception. But Lewis should have won that year.
“So, yeah, Max is an incredible driver. There’s no denying that. But that’s why I would relish going up against him. We all believe we’re the best.”
Verstappen’s stature as a four-time World Champion is something that Russell hinted would have left him with more pressure, citing his previous relationship with Hamilton and his current one with Antonelli, being on both sides of that team-mate coin each time.
“The same as when I was team mates with Lewis. If he beat me, he was expected to,” he said. “But if he lost to me, yeah, it’s seen as a big loss. Or the same with me and Kimi now. But I mean, we’re getting well ahead of ourselves here.”
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