Bernie Collins touts Mercedes contract offer George Russell won’t ‘want’ given what she’s heard about their 2026 engine

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George Russell has shown that Mercedes have pace at the Austrian Grand Prix, but a lot of the talk in Styria is about his future with the Briton out of contract this season.

The 27-year-old has driven for the Silver Arrows since the 2022 F1 season. Yet even showing that he can be their new team leader after Lewis Hamilton’s defection to Ferrari has still not seen Mercedes offer Russell a new contract. He has scored 136 of their 199 points this term.

Russell has also admitted that Mercedes are in talks with Max Verstappen over a move from Red Bull for next season. The King’s Lynn native revealed to Sky Sports ahead of the Austrian GP that Mercedes are in ‘ongoing’ talks with Verstappen, but also believes it is ‘only normal’.

His shock admission is also amid claims that Mercedes desperately want to sign Verstappen, as the Brackley crew doubt Russell can fill the commercial void Hamilton created. Team boss Toto Wolff will also not hand Russell a new deal until Verstappen is 100% staying at Red Bull.

Bernie Collins doubts George Russell would ‘want’ a one-year contract extension at Mercedes

Russell may be in luck as, despite Wolff’s interest in him joining Mercedes, Verstappen is set to stay at Red Bull in 2026. But Bernie Collins doubts Russell will ‘want’ to accept a one-year contract offer, if Wolff ultimately opts to keep the four-time Grand Prix winner at Mercedes.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about F1’s 2026 engine and chassis regulations

Wolff could try to leave a door open for Verstappen in 2027, which Collins fears would force Russell to face the same situation next year. The ex-McLaren strategist also thinks the Briton will want a longer deal given Mercedes’ expected advantage under the 2026 F1 regulations.

Collins told Sky Sports News (27/06, 14:33): “I think that if I were in Russell’s position, you would probably want more than a one-year deal. You don’t want to be having this year-in, year-out, the conversation.

“We expect Mercedes to be strong next year with the new engine rules, but we just don’t know. None of the teams really know where they’re going to be when the cars hit the track next January, next February when they start to go testing.

“So, I think Russell will want more than that, but he’s probably not going to be that unhappy either way.”

Max Verstappen believes Mercedes will have the best 2026 F1 engine amid doubts over Red Bull’s power unit

While Russell dubbed claims that Mercedes will have the best 2026 F1 engine as ‘nonsense’, the Silver Arrows are expected to design the best power unit for when the new rules kick in next term. Even Verstappen believes Mercedes will have the best 2026 F1 rules engine, too.

Red Bull, on the other hand, are widely expected to struggle when the new rules kick in next year. The Milton Keynes squad are now building their own power unit for the first time after Honda initially pulled out of Formula 1, before then opting to stay as Aston Martin’s partner.

The general consensus in the paddock is that Audi and Red Bull will find the 2026 F1 engine rules the toughest at the start of next year, when Ferrari are also expected to struggle. Audi are joining the F1 grid for the first time in 2026, with the German brand taking over Sauber.