Helmut Marko tells Mercedes key reason to re-sign George Russell after missing out on Max Verstappen

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George Russell continues to face an uncertain future with his Mercedes contract set to lapse after the 2025 F1 season, despite Max Verstappen staying at Red Bull for 2026.

The Silver Arrows are one of the four teams yet to settle their driver line-ups for next season, with Alpine, Red Bull and Racing Bulls also holding vacancies. Alpine and Red Bull are mulling their options for who they can pair with Pierre Gasly and Verstappen, respectively, next year.

But Verstappen confirming he will drive for Red Bull in 2026 at the Hungarian Grand Prix was expected to see Mercedes hand Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli new contracts for at least another year. Toto Wolff also said at the Dutch GP that both were “continuing” at Mercedes.

Wolff had waited to learn if Verstappen could leave Red Bull and join Mercedes for the 2026 F1 season, as the 27-year-old has exit clauses in his contract through 2028. Yet he needed to be fourth or lower in the 2025 F1 drivers’ standings in the summer to leave, but was third.

Helmut Marko questions who, except for George Russell, can be Mercedes ‘team leader’

It has also been reported that Wolff is now offering Russell a £30m a year Mercedes contract to stay with the Brackley crew through at least 2027. Yet the Briton and his rookie teammate Antonelli are both currently set to become free agents when their deals expire in December.

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Red Bull motorsport adviser Helmut Marko cannot understand why Mercedes are yet to sign Russell to a fresh contract, as Silver Arrows team principal Wolff is “certainly not waiting” for Verstappen to join. Marko also doubts which drivers can lead Mercedes, except for Russell.

Marko told sport.de: “They’re certainly not waiting for Max. And I don’t really know anyone else who could be considered as [their] team leader.”

George Russell is carrying Mercedes next to rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli in 2025

Russell has more than stepped up to the job of leading Mercedes in the 2025 F1 season next to rookie Antonelli, after Lewis Hamilton defected to Ferrari. Yet the King’s Lynn native is still waiting for Wolff to finalise a new contract to keep him in Brackley for at least a fifth season.

READ MORE: Who is Red Bull motorsport adviser Helmut Marko? Everything to know

Over the first 16 of this year’s 24 rounds ahead of this week’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku, Russell has scored 194 of Mercedes’ 260 points. Only McLaren’s Oscar Piastri on 324 and Lando Norris on 293, plus Red Bull rival Verstappen with 230, have more points than Russell.

Russell won the Canadian GP from pole position in June for Mercedes’ only win and pole this year, as well. He also has six of the Silver Arrows’ seven podiums, and has only failed to get a top-five finish in the Emilia Romagna GP (P7), Monaco GP (P11) and British GP (P10) thus far.