George Russell states ‘nothing has changed’ in Mercedes future talks

George Russell’s future with the Mercedes Formula 1 team has been one of 2025’s biggest talking points — but the British driver isn’t stressing.

According to him, “nothing has changed” regarding his place with the team.

‘Nothing has changed’ between George Russell and Mercedes

Additional reporting by Thomas Maher

Mercedes driver George Russell has admitted that he finds himself in “a bit of a unique situation” regarding speculation about his future.

At the conclusion of the F1 2025 season, the contracts of both Mercedes drivers — Russell and Kimi Antonelli — will expire. Neither driver has yet to be presented with a contract renewal to sign for 2026 and beyond. Both drivers are managed by the team for which they race.

These facts have kicked off ample amounts of speculation about Mercedes’ intentions with its current line-up — namely, if it isn’t looking to replace its drivers with someone else in the field.

Max Verstappen’s name has entered the ring as a potential candidate, with Russell himself admitting previously that Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff had indeed had some initial talks with the reigning champion. It leaves the team’s current drivers in a perplexing bind — but according to George Russell, he has no reason to worry.

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Speaking to media, including PlanetF1.com, ahead of this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix, Russell acknowledged the “unique situation” but continued that Mercedes have “always had my best interests at heart, and we’ll find out what happens in the future, but I still have no reason to be concerned about my future with Mercedes.

“And ultimately, what’s the worst that’s going to happen? If I’m performing, I’ll still be in Formula 1, and I will be somewhere competitive.

“So from my side, it just makes makes you think again. It just comes down to yourself. You’re in control of your own destiny.

“It’s a bit of a unique situation that I managed by the team who I’m racing for, but that’s the same for Kimi as well, and that’s a position we find ourselves in both.”

Russell’s confidence isn’t necessarily misplaced, but time is running out. As things currently stand, there are only a handful of seats open in 2026: Two at Mercedes, two at the incoming Cadillac F1, two at Racing Bulls, one at Alpine, and one at Red Bull. Only two of those teams have demonstrated their capacity to win Grands Prix on a regular basis: Russell’s current team, and the team currently hosting his major rival Verstappen.

But as he explained, it’s “pretty public knowledge” that “most teams are talking with most drivers.”

“It’s not just the short term future of next year,” he continued. “There’s conversations already going on for drivers for ’27, ’28, ’29. People have always looked many years in advance.

“When I was at Williams when I signed in 2019, 2022 was always the projection for me to join [Mercedes], if that makes sense.

“So the situation we find ourselves in now is, I don’t think it’s abnormal, and from my side, there is no tension, because there’s two cars to every team. I’m performing the best I’ve ever performed. I have the majority of the points for the team.

“So if you look at the facts, you would argue my job is safe. That’s why I’m not concerned at all.

“If I stop performing, maybe I need to be concerned, but I need to be more concerned about my performance, not about my future.”

Russell was also asked about a recent interview that Toto Wolff gave to ORF, where he stated that Mercedes’ “absolute priority” was retaining both Russell and Antonelli for 2026, and whether or not it gave him a sense of security.

But according to the Briton, Wolff’s statement “was for you [the media, ed.], not for me.

“What happens behind closed doors is behind closed doors; nothing from my side has changed. I wasn’t even aware of this statement until one hour ago.

“It’s not something I’m looking for. It’s not something I really care about. And as I said, these last months have gone from the position where I was stressed about my future and I was concerned about it, and I’ve continued to perform.

“I just think it’s in my own hands, so there’s no point losing sleep about it.

“Mercedes need the best drivers in their race car, and I believe that I’m right up there. I don’t think there’s many people doing a better job than I am.

“I need them, and they need me, and that’s, that’s how it goes in racing.”

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