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Former F1 champion Nico Rosberg feels Toto Wolff's secret talks with Max Verstappen are the reason behind George Russell's Mercedes contract extension delay. Russell has been with the German team since 2022, when he replaced Valtteri Bottas and teamed up with Lewis Hamilton.
He has, however, been a Mercedes junior throughout his career, as he has been affiliated with the team for a long time. With Hamilton leaving the team at the end of last year, Russell has taken over as the team leader. In Canada, he fended off Verstappen to pick up his first win of the season.
Through all of this, there has been growing discussion around George Russell's contract. The British driver's current contract ends this season. His performances in the car have only further cemented the claim of him being one of the best drivers in F1 right now.
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Unfortunately, though, it does appear that the Mercedes boss, Toto Wolff, is delaying signing an extension, as there seems to be an attempt to get Max Verstappen from Red Bull. The regulations change in 2026, and while the Austrian team is expected to struggle as it is building a PU for the first time, it's the exact opposite situation for the German team.
Talking to Sky Germany, Nico Rosberg also speculated that Wolff might just be having a secret chat with Verstappen, and that has contributed to George Russell not getting a contract extension just yet. He said:
"Red Bull is not stupid. They paid Max a fortune and signed him for several years. I don’t think he can just run away. But you can’t force you to stay. If he wants to leave, you have to accept it at some point."
He added:
“On the other hand, there is also the George Russell situation at Mercedes. There is some delay in it, because Toto Wolff should actually sign him now. This is his number one driver, his performance this season is mega again. Maybe there are some talks in the background with the Verstappen side.”
Timo Glock weighs in on the Max Verstappen -Mercedes-George Russell situation
Former F1 driver Timo Glock also weighed in on the situation as he said that it appears Mercedes is in no hurry. It can continue to pursue Max Verstappen still, and if it doesn't materialize, then they can sign the contract with George Russell. He said (via the aforementioned source):
"At Mercedes, there is no hurry. On the one hand, of course, you can play a bit of poker with each other. Russell is also someone who already has a lot of experience, performs well, and maybe also changed the numbers in his contract a bit and wants to earn more. This is a poker game."
It would be interesting to see what dynamics come into play as the season progresses. Max Verstappen has shown a commitment to Red Bull, but if the car continues to flounder, he might look at a way out of the team.
