George Russell has shared a peculiar behind-the-scenes story about his contract renewal with Mercedes. His extension with the German team was one of the hottest topics of last season in Formula 1. For a long time, Max Verstappen was the focus as a top driver in Toto Wolff’s team, which cast doubt on George Russell’s reconfirmation.
Russell was only able to put an end to the speculation at the end of 2025, when Mercedes confirmed that he would remain part of the team alongside Kimi Antonelli.
Entering his fifth year with the Silver Arrows, the British driver made a very specific request during his contract negotiations – a request that ultimately was not granted.
“I would love to collect my Formula 1 cars,” George Russell told Auto Motor und Sport. “But because of the budget cap, we only produce three or four chassis per year.”
In the past, it was traditional for teams to gift their cars to drivers, especially when they left the team. This happened with Jean Alesi and Sebastian Vettel, and more recently with Carlos Sainz. At the end of 2024, on his farewell day at Fiorano, Ferrari presented Carlos Sainz with an F1-75, the car he had won with at Silverstone 2022, fully operational.
Today, however, this tradition is disappearing. “Twenty years ago, when unlimited testing was still allowed, each team built 15 to 20 chassis. These were then rotated regularly,” George Russell explained. “I tried to request an F1 car during my latest contract negotiations. Unfortunately, I didn’t get one,” he revealed.
Why teams no longer give F1 cars to drivers
“I wish teams could find a way to produce chassis outside of the budget cap,” he added. “We already have enough components for other engines. Each driver gets five engines per year,” he continued.
George Russell hopes for a future change. “I believe Mercedes produces a total of 60 engines per season. We also have plenty of rear wings for high, medium, and low downforce, as well as enough front wings and floors. We have at least ten sets of all the other components. But there are only three or four chassis. Maybe I should talk to the FIA about this…”
George Russell’s revealed frustration over the lack of personal chassis ownership highlights an unforeseen cultural consequence of the Formula 1 budget cap. While the financial regulations have successfully closed the performance gap between teams, they have simultaneously killed a long-standing tradition of rewarding drivers with the very machinery they used to make history. By suggesting that monocoques be manufactured outside the cap for collection purposes, Russell is not just making a “bizarre” request, but is advocating for the preservation of the sport’s heritage in an era where every carbon fiber fragment must be strictly accounted for on a balance sheet.
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