25/07/2025 09:45
George Russell believes Mercedes "needs me" as much as he "needs
them" as he remains without a signed 2026 F1 contract. The Briton's
deal expires at the end of this year, with team-mate Kimi Antonelli
only on a single-year contract for his rookie year, as boss Toto
Wolff openly courts Max Verstappen from Red Bull. However, after
months of chasing Verstappen's signature, Wolff appeared to
indicate that such a move would not happen for 2026, describing how
his "absolute priority" was to remain with a Russell-Antonelli
line-up for the sweeping rule changes coming in for next season.
When questioned about the situation, Russell believes both he and
Mercedes will mutually benefit from an extension being agreed.
"That was for you, not for me," Russell told media, including
RacingNews365 , when asked about Wolff's comments, and whether it
added any 'safety' to his position. "Who knows what happens behind
closed doors, but nothing from my side has changed. I wasn't even
aware of this statement until one hour ago, so it is not something
I'm looking for or care about. "In these last months, I'm going
from a position where I was stressed about my future, and I was
concerned about it, and I'll just continue to perform, and it is in
my own hands, so there is no point losing sleep over it. "Mercedes
needs the best drivers in their race car, and I believe that I am
right up there, and I don't think there are many people doing a
better job than I am. "So I need them, and they need me, and that
is how it goes in racing."
