George Russell ‘hesitant’ about signing new Mercedes contract amid long-term ‘flop’ fears

Follow us on Google Discover

Mercedes are still yet to officially confirm George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli for the 2026 Formula 1 season.

Team principal Toto Wolff has publicly reassured fans that Mercedes’ driver line-up won’t change at the end of this year.

George Russell and Kimi Antonelli have had very different campaigns this year.

Russell has finally emerged from Lewis Hamilton’s shadow at Mercedes, although he’ll argue he was leading the team last year after finishing above him in the drivers’ championship.

The 27-year-old is the only driver outside of the McLaren pair and Max Verstappen to win a race this year, securing victory at the Canadian Grand Prix.

Antonelli has had a much tougher time on the other side of the garage, despite some obvious high points.

Nico Rosberg has shared the advice he wants to give Antonelli as he continues to fall further behind Russell in the championship.

There have been suggestions that either Russell or Antonelli will sign a short-term Mercedes deal, to allow Wolff to make a move for Verstappen if he decides to leave Red Bull.

However, Russell might be having second thoughts of his own over one particular aspect of the Mercedes deal he might be about to sign.

READ MORE: Mercedes driver George Russell’s life outside F1 from net worth to height

George Russell ‘hesitant’ to make long-term commitment to Mercedes in contract talks

Veteran journalist Helmut Uhl was reporting for the German publication Bild after the Italian Grand Prix.

Many people wondered whether Mercedes would announce Antonelli and Russell’s renewal at the Italian’s home race, but the wait for confirmation goes on.

Uhl suggested that the uncertainty surrounding the 2026 regulations is having a ripple effect in the F1 driver market.

One person this is impacting is Verstappen, with question marks over how competitive Red Bull will be next year.

The four-time world champion was superb at Monza, claiming the fastest lap of all time to take pole position before winning the fastest race in Formula 1 history.

However, that won’t stop Verstappen being linked to Mercedes next year, especially if rumours about their power unit come true.

Uhl believes drivers are ‘afraid of signing long-term contracts’ because of the uncertainty, and this applies to Russell as well.

He suggests Russell is ‘hesitant’ to make a ‘long-term commitment’ to Mercedes just in case they’re not the team to beat from next season.

It’s believed Mercedes have the best power unit for 2026, but until the cars take to the track during pre-season testing, it’s impossible to know for certain.

READ MORE: All you need to know about Mercedes F1 Team from team principal to lineage

George Russell making private demands similar to Lewis Hamilton in Mercedes contract talks

Russell is the strongest free agent on the market right now, having yet to officially confirm that he’ll be staying with Mercedes for 2026 and beyond.

That should put him in a strong position to negotiate, except for the fact that Toto Wolff is also his manager as well as team principal.

Russell has private concerns about maintaining his fitness levels during the season, due to the number of commitments he has.

This is a similar concern to Hamilton when he was part of the team, and could lead to him negotiating fewer marketing days into his schedule as a result.

Mercedes need to convince Russell and Antonelli that they’re going to be the team to beat during the next era of the sport.

Otherwise, Russell may attempt to keep his options open as he looks to challenge for the drivers’ championship for the first time in his career.