Mercedes told to avoid "foolish" decision in George Russell's contract saga by F1 insider

George Russell has been one of the four different race winners this year and has been in impeccable form more often than not. Despite this, he has not had a contract extension offer from Mercedes, leading former F1 driver Johnny Herbert to advise the German squad to avoid making a foolish decision by not giving a contract extension to Russell.

Russell made his debut in F1 under the wings of Mercedes while he raced at Williams. There, he matured up his driving and brought the Grove-based squad their first podium in four years at the 2021 Belgian GP.

Subsequently, he was given the call-up to Mercedes, where he won in his maiden season with the team and outscored Lewis Hamilton. Though 2023 was a bit of a step back, since 2024, he has acted as the team leader and scored the most points for the German outfit.

However, despite such success, Russell's contract with Mercedes is bound to end after the conclusion of the 2025 season. Paddock chatter has suggested that the Briton would soon receive an extension, but the 27-year-old has been kept waiting by the Brackley-based squad for a long time.

So, sharing his concerns on how Mercedes could lose out on the talent that they had invested in for years, Herbert claimed it would be foolish to keep Russell waiting in the lobby, as he said (via Formula Passion):

"If he doesn't get the deal he wants from Mercedes, Russell can go to any team. He might seem arrogant, but he's not, he's simply confident, and his results on the track speak for themselves. When he has the car to win, Russell is always there. It would be foolish of Mercedes not to guarantee him a long-term contract renewal. From my point of view, they have no choice."

George Russell last signed a contract extension with Mercedes in 2023.

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"Good things take time": Toto Wolff on landing on a deal with George Russell

Mercedes' Toto Wolff (L) and George Russell (R) after qualifying wrapped up at the 2024 F1 Grand Prix of Canada race weekend- Source: Getty

George Russell has donned the Mercedes overalls since 2022. With his 2025 campaign already being highlighted by two race wins, the 27-year-old could possibly add another victory to his tally by the end of the season if things go his way.

So, not having a contract with Mercedes for longer seems like an odd decision. But, Toto Wolff gave an update on the contract situation ahead of the Singapore GP, as he said (via Motorsport Week):

"Contract-wise, good things take a while. It’s about the detail, and it’s not about the big topics."

"He’s been formidable this year. I haven’t seen mistakes. There were weekends that he himself said, ‘I could have done more, and I wasn’t a good race’. But this happens with any driver. You can see when it just merges, the car being in a perfect space, and the driver being on top of things, that becomes a dominant formula, and that is what we’ve seen here."

George Russell has amassed 237 points in the F1 season so far and sits fourth in the interim standings