George Russell: ‘No stress, no worries’ over Mercedes contract
George Russell has insisted there is “no stress” over his Mercedes future despite his expiring contract.
Russell has established himself as a team leader for the Silver Arrows this season following Lewis Hamilton‘s departure but his three-year deal, signed in 2023, expires at the end of this season.
The British driver has been linked with both a move away — with Mercedes previously keeping an eye on Max Verstappen’s situation at Red Bull — and a bumper extension. But for now, Russell has said his full focus is on maintaining his strong form.
“From my side, there’s literally no stress, no worries whatsoever,” Russell told Sky Sports.
“When it comes to contracts, everyone gets so excited about it, but the fact is, drivers have had contracts, and if they don’t perform, they’ll get booted out.
“For drivers, performance is our currency. That’s what we’ve got. And if you perform, everything’s good. So, I’m just excited to go racing this weekend, focus on performance, and the future sorts itself out.”
Told of a few of the rumours that were swirling — one that he has signed a two-year deal, one that his performances are hampering Verstappen’s negotiating with Red Bull and one that he hasn’t even opened talks with Mercedes — Russell accepted that “a few of them are reasonably close.”
“But at the end of the day,” he added. “We’ve never discussed a contract prior to May or June in a season.”
Russell also stressed that ultimately contracts don’t “really mean anything” in today’s Formula 1.
“Everyone’s got exit clauses, they’ve all got performance clauses,” he said. “A driver that’s on a three-year contract, it doesn’t really mean anything if they’ve got an exit clause, or the team has an exit clause if the driver doesn’t perform. It doesn’t really mean a lot.
“If you’ve got a contract with a team but the team wants you gone, the team finds a way to get you gone.
“That’s how this sport works, and that’s how it should work because we’re 20 of the best in the world and it’s ruthless. There’s no time to mess around. All you can do is focus on driving fast.”
Russell is fourth in the drivers’ standings ahead of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, following a fine drive in Bahrain that saw him beat Lando Norris in the McLaren for second.
While the 27-year-old doesn’t feel he’s improved hugely from a 2024 campaign where he finished sixth in the championship, he accepts he is driving at his best.
“I don’t think my performances have stepped up massively since last year,” he said. “I think I was performing at a very good level throughout the end of last year, from probably Austin time onwards.
“Of course, being teammates with a seven-time world champion, you’ve always got a fight on your hands week in, week out. It wasn’t straightforward, but I don’t think I’m going about my business any different to what I was last year.
“But definitely, I do think I’m driving at the best of my abilities, and I feel that I’m getting stronger every single season.
“I still feel there’s a lot of room for me to improve. I feel that I’m not even close to my peak yet. That excites me a lot, because I still see areas of improvement that are very much achievable, and that I very much believe will bring performance to my game.”
Source: espn.com