George Russell confirms ‘specific’ contract clause in fresh Max Verstappen to Mercedes blow
Max Verstappen made George Russell sweat in his bid for a new Mercedes contract
George Russell has revealed that his new Mercedes contract contains a clause that will guarantee his future with the team if he performs during the F1 2026 season.
Mercedes ended the long-running saga surrounding Russell’s F1 future earlier this month by confirming that the British driver, as well as rookie teammate Andrea Kimi Antonelli, will remain in place for next season.
George Russell reveals ‘specific clause’ in new Mercedes contract
The team’s announcement came hot on the heels of Russell securing his fifth career victory at the Singapore Grand Prix, having also tasted victory in Canada earlier this season.
Russell’s new deal arrived after Max Verstappen, the Red Bull driver and reigning four-time world champion, had been heavily linked with a move to Mercedes earlier this year.
Russell himself revealed that talks between Verstappen and Mercedes for 2026 were “ongoing” during the Austrian Grand Prix weekend in June, claiming the negotiations were delaying a resolution to his own future.
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With Mercedes opting against specifying the exact length of Russell’s new contract, it has been speculated that the team could renew its interest in Verstappen ahead of the 2027 season.
PlanetF1.com reported at the time of Russell’s extension that he is believed to have signed a multi-year agreement of some description to remain at Mercedes.
And the 27-year-old has now confirmed that his new contract contains a clause that will seal his place at Mercedes for 2027 if he meets certain performance targets on track next season.
He told the Telegraph: “It is something I haven’t actually said publicly, but the deal is if I’m performing [next year] we have a specific clause that if I reach [a certain target], we will automatically renew for 2027.
“So my seat for 2027 is in my hands. So I’m not being strung along here.
“We’re not going to be in the same position as we were six months ago.
“If I perform, and I don’t want to go into details, but if I perform, then 100 per cent I’ll be staying.”
Russell, who joined Mercedes ahead of the 2022 season, went on to reveal that he originally intended to sign his new Mercedes contract as far back as October 2024.
However, he admitted that he has secured “substantially better” terms as a result of the delay to the agreement.
He added: “Everything works out for the best.
“I actually wanted to sign the deal back in October 2024 but the deal I got today is substantially better than what I would have got had I signed it then.
“So sometimes I think you just have to trust in your ability and I feel I’m only getting stronger.”
Mercedes has been limited to just seven race wins – split between Russell (five) and his former teammate Lewis Hamilton (two) – since the British driver arrived from Williams almost four years ago.
However, the team is widely expected to re-emerge as a title-contending force in 2026 with its preparations for the new rules – which will see the sport embrace 50 per cent electrification, fully sustainable fuels and active aerodynamics – widely believed to be significantly more advanced than its rivals.
Mercedes previously emerged as F1’s dominant team following the last major engine rules changes in 2014, winning a record eight consecutive constructors’ titles and seven drivers’ championships divided between Hamilton (2014-15 and 2017-20) and Nico Rosberg (2016).
As well as the Mercedes factory outfit, three teams – newly crowned 2025 constructors’ champions McLaren, Williams and Alpine – will compete with Mercedes power units under the new regulations in 2026.
Carlos Sainz recently hinted at a major Mercedes advantage for 2026 by revealing that the team’s access to the German manufacturer’s engine was “one of the main reasons” he opted to join Williams last year upon his surprise exit from Ferrari.
Sainz went on to remark that “everything I’ve heard about” the 2026 Mercedes engine “has been positive.”
More on George Russell and Mercedes from PlanetF1.com
Sainz’s comments came after Toto Wolff, the Mercedes team principal, predicted over the summer break that the new 2026 engines could achieve eye-watering top speeds of around 400 kilometres per hour (248.5mph) at full power next season.
It is unclear at this stage if any of Mercedes’ four rivals – Ferrari, Honda and newcomers Audi F1 and Red Bull Powertrains-Ford – have found such extreme top-speed predictions during their own simulations.
Meanwhile, a report in Italy last week indicated that the new Audi F1 engine could be as much as 31 brake horsepower down on the 2026 Mercedes powertrain.
The Audi F1 is said to be operating at between 540-550bhp – a deficit of around 21-31bhp to Mercedes’ reported figures of 571bhp.
If true, those figures would put the Audi power unit at a roughly similar deficit to that of the current Renault engine, which is widely agreed to be the weakest in F1 today.
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