George Russell Rejects Mercedes’ Latest Contract Offer Amid Renewed Verstappen rumour persists - Reports

George Russell's tenure at Mercedes is certain to conclude after the 2025 season, and with Max Verstappen joining the discussion, the Briton's job security is understood to be at risk. However, according to recent reports, he was proposed a 1+1 year contract with the team, which he rejected, seemingly putting the final nail in the coffin for his Mercedes stint.

Red Bull has underperformed in the 2025 season, which has threatened Verstappen with losing the chance of securing his fifth drivers' title. With the Dutchman's ambition of staying at the top, he may have to make a difficult decision to move away from the Austrian giant.

That's where Mercedes comes in. With 2026's new chassis and engine regulations poised to pose a challenge for every team, the German giant, which aced such a double overhaul in 2014, is expected to be near the front of the field.

Although Toto Wolff has openly flirted with the idea of onboarding Max Verstappen, a driver lineup of him and George Russell was understood to be a grave idea owing to their past antics out on track. But, according to reports, the Briton was presented with a contract extension, which he swiftly declined due to his ambition for a longer, secure future in F1.

If Russell has rejected the initial offer, this would help the Max Verstappen clan negotiate for longer with the German giant and possibly crack a deal at Brackley.

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Would Toto Wolff betray George Russell amid Max Verstappen's supposed intentions to move to Mercedes?

Toto Wolff (L) and George Russell (R) after the qualifying for the F1 Grand Prix of Canada - Source: Getty

Toto Wolff is known to stay resilient with his driver lineup. The Mercedes supremo has rarely made a driver change on his own accord, and George Russell's arrival within Brackley was also down to that.

The 27-year-old had replaced Valtteri Bottas at the team in 2022. Though it was an easy move on paper, the Finn's loyalty and efforts over the years have developed a strong relationship between him and Wolff, which made the Austrian obligated to help Bottas in his next F1 venture.

However, the 53-year-old now finds himself at a crossroads of choosing which driver to elect to stay with the team. Despite this, George Russell has faith in the team principal, as he said after the Canadian GP (via Formula 1):

"They need to understand and think how are they going to bring Mercedes back on top. You need to have the best team principal, you need to have the best drivers in your car, you need to have the best engineers within your team. Toto has made it clear to me that he thinks how I'm performing this year is as good as anybody. I think there's only one driver that you can debate in terms of performance, these are his words not my words."

“So that's why I have no concern about the future, but there's two seats to every team and I guess he needs to think who are those two drivers going to be for those two seats. I guess that's what the delay is."

George Russell has amassed 146 points in the 11 rounds held so far and sits fourth in the interim drivers' standings.