£474m F1 team may now be eyeing George Russell move for the 2026 season

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George Russell has arguably been one of the most impressive drivers on the F1 grid in 2024. He’s consistently outperformed his Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton, a seven-time world champion.

Russell took his second career victory in Austria at the end of last month after the late collision between Lando Norris and Max Verstappen. While there was clearly an element of fortune, he made sure he was in the position to capitalise.

The 26-year-old also bagged pole position in Canada and on home soil at Silverstone. He’s the only driver not named Verstappen to score multiple poles in 2024.

But even before Mercedes upgraded their way into the fight at the front, he was extracting the maximum from the car. With what was by all accounts the fourth-fastest machinery on the grid, he finished in the top six in four of the first eight races.

He’s thrashing Hamilton 10-2 in qualifying this year – one of the largest deficits in the field – and he also leads him 8-3 in the races. He may only have a one-point advantage in the championship, but that’s slightly misleading.

His teammate gained 25 points last time out after he retired with a water-system issue. And he also crashed out of the Australian GP late on after Fernando Alonso drove in a potentially dangerous manner in front of him.

Audi could be interested in George Russell for F1 debut

Russell and Hamilton both signed new contracts last summer. The former is staying put for 2025, while the latter has agreed to join Ferrari.

But there are doubts around the long-term future of the ex-Williams man too. He’s out of contract at the end of next year, when Mercedes will hope to activate an exit clause in Verstappen’s deal.

With academy driver Kimi Antonelli in contention for a 2025 promotion, Toto Wolff may have a dilemma. And it could put Russell on the market, according to Motorsport Magazin’s Christian Menath.

One team who will likely be aware of this is Audi. They could make a stop-gap signing at Sauber for 2025 and then pursue Russell ahead of their 2026 F1 debut.

“If Carlos Sainz doesn’t come, then it could be really only a temporary solution, because in 2026 the driver market carousel turns again,” Menath said. “George Russell and co. may be on the market.

“You don’t want to spoil that with a [Valtteri] Bottas or whoever. There will most likely be only a short interim solution.”

Mercedes know why Russell has been beating Lewis Hamilton

Audi want a Formula 1 A-lister to launch their £470m project (Motorsport Magazine). They viewed Carlos Sainz, the victim of Hamilton’s Ferrari move, as that man, but they seem to have lost out.

Indeed, CEO Andreas Seidl is facing the axe over his failure to sign Sainz. That indicates the team’s desperation to recruit a big name.

Russell, though, would be a more than adequate alternative. In addition to his two wins, he’s scored 13 podiums in his career and significantly boosted his stock by dominating the intra-Mercedes battle this season.

The team believe Russell is better than Hamilton at nursing the tyres, which is a subtle skill but a vital one in modern F1. Alongside the dependable veteran Nico Hulkenberg, he could form a mighty line-up.