“It’s horrible to negotiate with Toto”: Nico Rosberg weighs in on George Russell’s contract situation

Nico Rosberg has weighed in on George Russell’s contract situation at Mercedes. The 2016 F1 champion detailed how difficult it often is to negotiate with Toto Wolff.

The 40-year-old, who appeared on the recent episode of the Sky Sports F1 show, touched on the difficulty surrounding the contract negotiation details of Russell. Rosberg, who clinched the 2016 F1 drivers’ championship with Mercedes, also stressed how ‘horrible’ it was to often negotiate with team principal Wolff.

“It’s horrible to negotiate with Toto, and he just disappears off planet earth when you’re trying to get better terms. He just disappears and just doesn’t even let you talk with him. It’s horrible. I suffered a lot.”

“But now, it’s George doing the kind of reverse to Toto. It’s like he’s fighting Toto with his own medicine. George apparently is just not happy with a couple of terms in the contract. George is a Mercedes junior, so certainly he won’t be on a Lando Norris level salary, by far and away not, and George feels Lando is equal to him.”

George Russell has yet to pen an extension with Mercedes for the 2026 season. While Wolff has said the four-time race winner will continue with the Mercedes for next season, no deal has been finalized so far, with talks bordering on a few technicalities in the contract.

Whether Russell and Wolff get to resolve the finer details surrounding his contract extension at the Backley-based outfit remains one to keep a close eye on, especially as the 2025 campaign nears its final stretch.

Toto Wolff speaks on George Russell’s contract at Mercedes

Toto Wolff was quizzed about George Russell’s contract situation during the Italian Grand Prix in Monza. The 53-year-old, who spoke to Sky Sports F1, was asked if the financial details had played a part in the delay in agreeing on an extension with the British driver.

Wolff, who largely hinted at it not being about the financial details, was further quizzed about the length of the contract he was proposing to the four-time Grand Prix winner. According to reports, the Mercedes team principal has offered Russell an initial one-year plus an additional one-year contract extension.

Responding to this question, the Austrian motorsports chief responded:

“I think it makes no difference because they are anyway under tremendous pressure. If a driver says, I'd be quicker if I would have a two-year contract, then anyway that mindset is not right.”

While he had been incredibly successful at managing drivers and the Mercedes team as a whole, Wolff boasts the reputation of offering drivers relatively short contracts, an approach which has proven to yield tremendous success for the Brackley-based outfit so far.

Whether George Russell opts to pen a contract extension or explores his options beyond the Mercedes team remains one situation to keep a close watch on.