George Russell is potentially just weeks away from learning whether he will be dropped by Mercedes to make room for Max Verstappen for the F1 2026 championship.<\/p>\n
The Briton is out of contract with the Brackley squad at the end of this season, and Toto Wolff is weighing his options for his F1 2026 line-up. But what options does Russell have if he is replaced? They\u2019re limited, to say the least.<\/p>\n
George Russell limited options for F1 2026<\/p>\n
Many of the Formula 1 teams have their drivers signed for next season as they want stability heading into Formula 1\u2019s all-new regulation cycle.<\/p>\n
Barring a shock retirement or sudden change of heart, and the legal wrangling that goes with that, McLaren, Ferrari, Aston Martin, Haas, Williams and Sauber are all closed to Russell<\/a>.<\/p>\n So too is Racing Bulls, as their primary objective is blooding junior drivers for Red Bull.<\/p>\n Russell\u2019s options are sorely limited.<\/p>\n F1 contracts: Made to be broken?<\/p>\n \ud83d\udc49 Revealed: The six drivers out of contract at the end of the F1 2025 season<\/a><\/p>\n \ud83d\udc49 F1 2026 driver line-up: Lewis Hamilton and other drivers already confirmed for 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Cadillac: The least likely<\/p>\n But there is a new avenue that\u2019s opening next season as the grid will increase from 20 to 22 drivers following the confirmation that Cadillac has been accepted as the sport\u2019s 11th team.<\/p>\n However, the American outfit, which will be powered by Ferrari, needs at least six seats to make room for all the drivers being mentioned on their \u201cquite long\u201d list.<\/p>\n Russell would have to see off challenges from Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez, who are the favourites to join the General Motors-backed team, while Zhou Guanyu and Mick Schumacher are also in conversation with team principal Graeme Lowdon, as is Jack Doohan<\/a>.<\/p>\n Cadillac is an intriguing option, but in the midst of F1 2026\u2019s uncertainty, it is without a doubt the team with the biggest number of questions as they break through onto the Formula 1 grid.<\/p>\n Although Cadillac has racing pedigree, Formula 1 is a different beast. The team, though, couldn\u2019t be arriving at a better time as all 11 outfits start from zero next season \u2013 Cadillac\u2019s zero is just a little less.<\/p>\n Joining Cadillac would be like turning the clock back on Russell\u2019s Formula 1 career, with podiums, race wins and World titles highly unlikely unless Cadillac find that silver bullet that Toto Wolff says doesn\u2019t exist.<\/p>\n Alpine: Maybe, maybe not<\/p>\n Alpine\u2019s second seat is doing a bit of a Red Bull this season as, having already changed hands once, it reportedly could do so again before the season is over.<\/p>\n Alpine signed Jack Doohan for the F1 2025 season but even before his first race, there were rumours that he was on the clock. Two big crashes and points-less races saw the Australian dropped after the Miami Grand Prix but his replacement, Franco Colapinto, hasn\u2019t done much better.<\/p>\n Reports claim Valtteri Bottas is in the frame to replace the Argentine before the end of the championship, with conversations extending to 2026. That, should it come to pass, would close the door to Russell.<\/p>\n But as with Cadillac, joining Alpine means a step back from where he is today, a 2025 race winner, fighting for a spot on the season\u2019s podium.<\/p>\n