George Russell dismisses the plausible point of contention that's led to the Mercedes contract extension delay

George Russell has dismissed the notion that the absence of a long-term deal has been the sticking point behind the contract delay that he is facing right now. The British F1 driver's future has been surprisingly unpredictable this season.

The driver has taken over ever since Lewis Hamilton left for Ferrari. His performances over the year have been impeccable as he has taken over the role of the leader within the team.

To add to it, the driver has helped Mercedes pick up its first win of the season in Canada. Through all of this, in the form of background noise, we have had the talks of his contract extension being delayed race after race.

During the race weekend in Canada, George Russell revealed that Mercedes boss Toto Wolff had been talking with Max Verstappen for a prospective partnership, and that had potentially led to a delay. When Verstappen announced ahead of the F1 Hungarian GP that he was going to continue racing for Red Bull in 2026, many expected a contract extension for Russell to be announced.

When that announcement wasn't made, there were suggestions that the sticking point between George Russell and Mercedes was simply the length of the contract. The driver would be looking for a longer contract, while Wolff would want to keep his options open for 2026.

Russell declined any such suggestions when he revealed that he wasn't looking for a longer contract. He told the media, including Sportskeeda,

"The priority for me is having a World Championship-winning car, and I want that to be with Mercedes. That is the number one priority. I think drivers who are chasing long-term deals feel they need that security."

He added,

"I’ve never had a long-term deal, and I don’t need a long-term deal, because it should always be about performance. And if I’m not performing, the team shouldn’t be tied in with me. That’s as simple as that.”

George Russell denies pursuing any other team

George Russell was then questioned if there was a team he would want to be a part of, and if that was the reason behind his not committing to a long-term contract. The 2026 F1 season is going to be a complete reset where the new regulations mean a completely clean slate for everyone, and hence, it could work out for some and not for others.

This is also why drivers would want to have flexibility in their contracts in case their team is not in a strong position. Russell, however, dismissed that he was looking or pursuing anything at that point, as he said,

"It should work both ways. But I’m not really chasing anything right now, and I’ve not really been in a position to chase.”

The contract saga has been ongoing for a while now, and one of the reasons why this has taken this long is that Mercedes decided to pursue Max Verstappen. It would be interesting to see when George Russell finally agrees to a contract extension and what the duration of that contract would be.