"Weird to discuss contract formalities with George Russell while you were hanging out with Max Verstappen": Fans react to Wolff's explanation

F1 fans took to social media to share their reactions to Toto Wolff's explanation regarding the delay in George Russell's contract renewal. Speaking about this, Wolff stated that they were talking "just about formalities", as negotiation was over.

Russell's contract expires at the end of this year, and despite that, he has yet to receive a contract extension from the Silver Arrows. Reports claimed that the British driver could have received the offer around the British GP, his home race. In reality, Russell does not have an extension offer even after the summer break.

"You know, we're talking just about formalities," Wolff told Sky Sports F1 about Russell's contract renewal. "It's not even a negotiation anymore... And we didn't want to discuss that over the summer break, although we were not far from each other. We wanted to be out of each other's faces in terms of contract talk, rather than enjoy the downtime."

Prior to the summer break, reports confirmed Toto Wolff's interest in Max Verstappen, as the Red Bull driver was reportedly unhappy with his team. There were reports that Wolff wanted him at Mercedes, which might have caused the delay for George Russell.

As Wolff's statement about Russell's contract renewal surfaced on the internet, fans took to their social media account to share their reactions. Here are some reactions taken from the micro-blogging site, X, formerly Twitter:

A fan wrote, "Would be weird to discuss contract formalities with george while you were hanging out with max lol."

alex

@russellklore

would be weird to discuss contract formalities with george while you were hanging out with max lol

"It's so clear as day that the issue is that George wants a 2 or more year contract and Toto wants a 1+1," another fan wrote.

Leandro Nogueira

@formulaleonog7

t's so clear as day that the issue is that George wants a 2 or more year contract and Toto wants a 1+1

Another fan wrote, "This whole situation is amusing. Neither party has a better alternative and yet they’re scrolling through the Amazon shopping app looking for “great deals”.

Ammar

@Tyred_AD

This whole situation is amusing. Neither party has a better alternative and yet they’re scrolling through the Amazon shopping app looking for “great deals”.

A fan wrote, "hand over the contract I BEG."

elle 🏁 P3 GEORGE

@1263am

hand over the contract I BEG

"yea yeah put the fries in the bag bro," another fan wrote.

mel

@russcorpios

yea yeah put the fries in the bag bro

"Wait I think it might not be the contract length as much as it is the situation he's in regarding the management, it doesn't seem as crazy considering how much he's been exposing certain terms over the past few weeks," wrote a fan.

evie

@eviercedes

wait i think it might not be the contract length as much as it is the situation he's in regarding the management, it doesn't seem as crazy considering how much he's been exposing certain terms over the past few weeks.

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George Russell confident about Mercedes renewal

George Russell shared his confidence ahead of the Mercedes contract renewal. When asked if he was worried about his future with the Silver Arrows, the British driver's conference oozed out.

George Russell of Great Britain driving the (63) Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team - Source: Getty

"No, not at all, to be honest," Russell said, stating if he was worried. "It was more of a question of who my team-mate was going to be. I think I'm quite rational to how this sport works, and the team felt like they didn't need to sign a deal. I didn't really feel I needed to push it so much when it got to a certain point. I believe in myself more than ever."

“I've always believed in myself, and my results have always shown that. It's not just the form of this year, but through my whole career since the age of 10 years old. So, yeah, if you back yourself and if you perform, you'll never have anything to worry about," Russell further added. (Via Motorsport.com)

George Russell arrived at Mercedes from Williams in 2022 and raced three seasons alongside Lewis Hamilton. In the past three years, Russell has outperformed Hamilton, the seven-time world champion, twice, and after his departure, has taken over as the de facto lead driver of the team.