George Russell should bite the bullet and agree to Mercedes contract terms

In Austin, we kick off the last quarter of the 2025 F1 season, and one of the best drivers of the year, George Russell, doesn't have a contract for next season. In what has slowly evolved into a spectacularly surprising back-and-forth, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has yet to reach an agreement with his star driver for next season.

The 2025 F1 season has been George Russell's best in terms of how he's conducted himself and has seen his performance become more consistent and error-free. Since his debut in the sport in 2019, this is the year where the driver can be truly ranked amongst the top 3 drivers on the grid.

While that is the case for sure and almost every team would be more than willing to sign George Russell, there's speculation on why the two parties have not reached an agreement. The speculation seems to be about the availability of Max Verstappen for 2027, and Mercedes doesn't want to miss an opportunity to sign him in case he is on the market.

As a result, what George Russell is seemingly offered is a single-year extension with an option for the future, depending on the driver market in 2026. For a driver of Russell's character, a single-year extension after how he's performing is almost a sign of disrespect.

As a result, we are in this logjam where essentially George Russell is demanding a long-term commitment while Mercedes is unwilling to give him anything more than a one-year extension and potentially an option for the future.

While it might not be a good thing for George Russell to be left feeling unwanted by Mercedes and held out to dry, it might be better for the driver to just bite the bullet and sign the one-year extension.

George Russell doesn't have a better option

While it is true that Mercedes doesn't have a better option for 2026 either, it is safe to say that George Russell doesn't have a better option either. If he does call time on his stint with the team and doesn't sign for 2026, where does he go?

None of the top 4 teams has a place where he would be considered, as Ferrari is packed, so is McLaren, and Red Bull will not look outside the academy either.

That leaves an open door for Alpine, which is a massive gamble, and one has to wonder if Russell would want even to take that.

Mercedes could have the best car next season

More importantly, the 2026 F1 season is the change of regulations, and quite a few pundits feel that Mercedes might just be the frontrunner. The team is rumored to have the best PU once again, and if that is the case, it does bring back the memories of the 2014 F1 season.

While it is not the best way in which George Russell has been treated by Mercedes, it is safe to say that no driver would pass up the option of driving the best car on the grid, even if it is for just one year.

If George Russell gets the fastest car on the grid for just one year, he would back himself to win the title. Once he does that, it's something that nobody can take away from him.

Hence, even if George Russell might not be a fan of how Mercedes has treated him, he would not want to pass up the opportunity of driving the fastest car on the grid for a year.

There's no point staying at a place that doesn't want you

And finally, arguably the most important thing. What Toto Wolff has made abundantly clear this season is that he values Max Verstappen far more than the British driver that he's helped climb up the ranks.

Wolff, it seems, is almost willing to anger his team leader for just having the possibility to sign the Dutch driver. Well, if that is the case, then what's the point of forcing a stay within a team that doesn't want you? At this stage, it has become clear that the ideal lineup for Toto Wolff comprises Max Verstappen and Kimi Antonelli.

In essence, for Russell, the writing is on the wall, and if that is the case, then what he needs to do is sign the one-year extension, head to 2026, and see which is the best seat available other than Mercedes and build himself up in that new home.

You don't try to force your stay in a house you're not welcome in, and Russell would have realized by now that he doesn't feature in Wolff's plan for the future.

Edited by Charanjot Singh Kohli