Why there is a delay in George Russell's Mercedes contract extension #f1 #mercedesf1 #georgerussell
14What is the reason behind the delay in George Russell's Mercedes contract extension?
Once Max Verstappen announced that he would be at Red Bull for 2026, there were expectations that Russell would be announced as a Mercedes driver and the contract extension would be signed.
While that was the expectation, that hasn't happened. Soon after the Verstappen announcement, Russell came out and said that his contract extension would take a while.
During all this time, Toto Wolff has been claiming that both George and Kimi are not going anywhere and will be driving for the team in 2026.
However, we are in September now, and there's still nothing that has been announced for either driver.
Why is that?
Well there are possibly 3 sides to the story.
From Toto's perspective,
-It seems Max Verstappen has expressed interest in joining Mercedes in 2027 when the Red Bull exit clause is more relaxed
-To have the flexibility of having a seat open for 2026, Toto is willing to offer a 1+1 contract to his drivers
For George's perspective,
-He's asking for more loyalty from Mercedes than what's a single-year extension
-He is getting tired of Toto's public appreciation of Max, and doesn't want a sword on his head next season as well
For Kimi,
-Just like George, he's on the same boat and doesn't want to experience the same situation that he's going through
-He knows that if Toto is unwilling to commit, Every team would be trying to bring him to their setup
That's where the deadlock seems to be at the moment.
Toto doesn't want to be in a position where signing Max Verstappen is off the table. He also doesn't want to be in a position where George Russell just leaves at the end of this season and he has no top driver for 2026.... In the end, someone would have to give up leverage...who would that be? We don't know yet
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