George Russell advised to ditch Mercedes for Aston Martin by former McLaren man

George Russell has been advised by former McLaren man Juan Pablo Montoya to ditch Mercedes and go to Aston Martin. The suggestion comes in the aftermath of the situation that the driver finds himself in right now, where a contract extension is something that continues to get delayed.

George Russell's driving in 2025 has been admirable. With Lewis Hamilton gone, he's started the season as a leader within Mercedes, and his performances and demeanor have matched that description.

He's not only been consistent and scored the bulk of the points, but he's also secured the solitary pole position and a win for Mercedes as well. Despite all of this, the driver has not been handed a new contract.

With his current contract coming to an end this year, this is something that has surprised a lot of people. Earlier, the reasoning was that Toto Wolff was having conversations with Max Verstappen. With the Dutch driver's future secured for 2026, it has come as a surprise that an extension has still not been signed.

What was even more strange was George Russell's demeanor in front of the media, where he said that he was in no rush to sign a contract extension.

Juan Pablo Montoya feels that Wolff is not going to give anything more than a single-year extension to either Russell or Antonelli, and he advised the Brit that if a call comes from Aston Martin, he should think about ditching the German squad. He told Coinpoker,

“I think the problem is George is only going to get a one year deal. And I think Antonelli is going to get a one year deal. If I was George and I had a good opportunity somewhere else, I would go. If Aston came today to George and offered him a seat for next year, I would take it, he should take it. And then let Mercedes realise what they have lost and figure out what they did next.”

Why George Russell's contract extension with Mercedes is still in limbo

There's no clear answer on why Toto Wolff has not signed a contract extension yet with Mercedes, but it does appear that the bone of contention is the duration of the contract. While Max Verstappen has made a commitment to be at Red Bull for 2026, there's no guarantee that he'll stay beyond that.

Toto Wolff, on his part, is arguably trying to keep his options open in case Max Verstappen once again becomes available for 2027. As a result, he's not willing to sign a multiyear contract with the Dutch driver.

To add to all of this, the leaked picture of Max Verstappen and Kelly Piquet spending the summer break with Toto Wolff and Susie Wolff is something that would also prove to be an incentive for George Russell if he ever needed one to look for a future beyond Mercedes.