George Russell has thrived after he replaced Lewis Hamilton as Mercedes’ team leader this year, yet the Briton currently faces being out of contract after the 2025 F1 season.

Hamilton switching to Ferrari at the start of this term opened the door for Russell to step up and lead Mercedes alongside rookie teammate, Andrea Kimi Antonelli. But even scoring 147 of the Silver Arrows’ 210 points so far this season has not been enough to merit fresh terms.

The 27-year-old is also the only non-McLaren or Red Bull driver to score a pole position or a Grand Prix win this year. Russell won the Canadian Grand Prix from pole position in June for one of his five podiums, and Mercedes’ six, across the first 12 rounds of the 2025 F1 season.

Russell last received a new contract from Mercedes back in August 2023 when they tied him up through the 2025 F1 season. It is the Briton’s priority to stay in Brackley beyond this year, and Russell has told rival teams that he plans to stay at Mercedes having drawn approaches.

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Red Bull sacking Christian Horner has cleared a ‘hurdle’ to sign Mercedes’ George Russell

Yet with Mercedes desperate to sign Max Verstappen as the Silver Arrows question if Russell and Antonelli can fill Hamilton’s commercial void, the King’s Lynn native continues to wait to get a new deal. Russell wonders if Toto Wolff will give him a new contract beyond 2025, too.

Verstappen has a contract at Red Bull through the 2028 season, but his deal also features an array of release clauses that could free him after this year. Even Red Bull sacking team boss Christian Horner might not be enough to tempt Verstappen to stay amid Mercedes’ interest.

But Fox Sports reports that by sacking Horner, the ‘hurdle’ that could have prevented Russell from replacing Verstappen at Red Bull is now ‘clear’. The Briton and the Dutchman switching seats ‘cannot be discounted’, with the risk of the ‘animosity’ Horner helped to create eased.

It is, however, up for debate if Russell will find a move to Milton Keynes appealing, given the concerns that Red Bull will have one of the worst engines in 2026. Mercedes are expected to have the best 2026 rules engine and Red Bull are building their own engine for the first time.

George Russell could help Max Verstappen trigger his Red Bull release clause

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The news of Red Bull sacking Horner from his role as their team principal and CEO also came amid reports that Russell and Mercedes have hit an impasse in their contract negotiations. It is said that the Briton is reluctant to agree to the length of the deal the Silver Arrows desire.

Russell wants more long-term security than the likely one-plus-one-year deal that Mercedes CEO and team principal Wolff is prepared to award him, knowing that Verstappen’s Red Bull release clause is more accessible in 2026 than 2025 – which might make signing him easier.

Russell can also help Verstappen to trigger his release clause at the £2.7bn-valued Red Bull F1 team by pushing him out of the top three of the F1 drivers’ championship by the summer break. Only 18 points split the pair in third and fourth place ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix.