George Russell has not yet renewed with Mercedes
The contract renewal between George Russell and Mercedes, which would mark the continuation of the long-standing professional relationship between the British driver and team principal Toto Wolff, is expected to be announced during the British Grand Prix weekend at Silverstone next week. This is according to a recent report by Auto Motor und Sport, the renowned German motorsport outlet, which claims that the Austrian team boss has ultimately decided to retain Russell—deservedly so, given his consistently high-level performances this season. Russell has stepped up as the team leader following Lewis Hamilton’s departure.
Is Max Verstappen involved?
However, former Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg is not fully convinced by this narrative. The 2016 Formula 1 World Champion, now a TV pundit and expert for various Sky Sports channels, spoke to Sky Germany and pointed to the prolonged negotiations as a sign of hesitation from Toto Wolff. According to Rosberg, this delay may indicate that Wolff has either tried—or is still trying—to lure Max Verstappen away from Red Bull and his rival team principal Christian Horner.
Nico Rosberg speaks
“At Red Bull,” Rosberg explained, “they’re not stupid. That’s why they paid Max a fortune to lock him in with a long-term contract. I don’t think he can simply walk away. But at the same time, they can’t force him to stay if he really doesn’t want to. If he truly wants to leave, at some point they’d have to accept it.”
The 39-year-old German continued: “Then there’s also the particular situation of George Russell with Mercedes. There have been delays in the contract talks, and Toto Wolff should have signed the extension immediately. Russell is his number one driver, and his performances this year have once again been outstanding. But I think maybe there are still discussions going on in the background regarding Verstappen.”
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