F1.com<\/a> reporter Lawrence Barretto.<\/p>\n Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT<\/p>\n
\u201cHe is 99.99% certain to be on the grid next year \u2013 and it will 99.99% be with Mercedes alongside Kimi Antonelli in an unchanged line-up, but negotiations have stretched out,\u201d Barretto wrote.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow has it come to this? Well, it comes down to the fact that in some phases earlier this year, four-time World Champion Max Verstappen could have been available as early as next year \u2013 and that put Mercedes on high alert.<\/p>\n
\u201cUp until then, Russell \u2013 who had made a great start to the year with three podiums in the first four \u2013 was in great shape to secure a multi-year deal, extending a stay that began in 2022 and a relationship that started in 2017 when he joined the Silver Arrows’ junior programme.<\/p>\n
\u201cVerstappen’s potentially availability put the brakes on that but when the Red Bull driver confirmed that he was staying put for 2026, there was no doubt Russell would ultimately stay at Mercedes for next season \u2013 but the terms on which he would sign remained unclear.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith Verstappen contracted to Red Bull until 2028 but still potentially available before that, it’s perhaps understandable that Mercedes don’t want to lock down both of their seats for the foreseeable future \u2013 which naturally will be a frustration for Russell.\u201d<\/p>\n
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What is the hold up?<\/p>\n
Barretto went on to explain that Russell, who claimed his second victory of the 2025 season at the Singapore Grand Prix, has been left in a \u201ctough spot\u201d as he looks to finalise his future with Mercedes.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile Russell also has done nothing wrong and hasn’t lost out to Verstappen for 2026, the fact is there’s a real possibility that could happen in the future \u2013 and thus he is limited on the length of deal he can agree, despite his sensational form right now,\u201d Barretto continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt’s undoubtably a tough spot to be in but, as was proved by what happened with Sainz and Ferrari, these things happen.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe positive for Russell is that he’s driving at an incredibly high level and is one of the top three drivers in the world right now in terms of current performance.<\/p>\n
\u201cOnce his Mercedes deal is done and announced, he can focus on continuing his superb form and giving the Silver Arrows every reason to keep him.<\/p>\n
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\u201cAnd should they decide not to keep him despite that form, he will have no shortage of offers from elsewhere on the grid for 2027, when the driver market is expected to burst into life once again.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wolff told Sky Sports F1 in Singapore that a fresh deal for Russell is \u201csuper near\u201d.<\/p>\n
Following Russell\u2019s fifth career victory, Wolff said: “He’s been formidable this year. I haven’t seen mistakes. There were weekends that he himself said, ‘I could have done more, and it wasn’t a good race\u2019.<\/p>\n
“But this happens with any driver. You can see when it just merges, the car being in a perfect space, and the driver being on top of things, that becomes a dominant formula, and that is what we’ve seen here.<\/p>\n
“Contract-wise, good things take a while, it’s about the detail, and it’s not about the big topics.”<\/p>\n
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