What George Russell should do next

Over the past couple of weeks the case between IndyCar star Álex Palou and McLaren has hit the headlines while George Russell’s contract at Mercedes has finally resolved itself with confirmation for just 2026 at the moment. It’s made me reflect on the complex matter of driver contracts and also the effect it has on the dynamic within the team.

Broadly speaking drivers want three things – a competitive car that allows them to fight at the front, a team that supports them and the financial rewards commensurate with their status within the sport. Every driver would love to have number one status within the team but these days, it frankly has less tangible benefits and the teams all prefer to sign drivers on an equal footing while letting them earn their position out on track. If you rewind to the 1980s or 1990s, drivers would try and secure the first right to the spare car or the latest engine upgrades as a part of their deal, while Michael Schumacher, of course, had absolute number one status with the other car even giving up position on track. Nowadays with the restrictions on testing, rule homologation cycles and banning of spare cars, it’s less of an issue although there are still benefits such as a preferential call on pitstop strategy for example.

“This season has underlined Max’s position as the top driver in F1”

Like in any other business, getting to the point of a signed contract is about understanding your position in the negotiation. If you are Max Verstappen, for example, you know that Red Bull absolutely need you more than you need them at the moment. If you consider the 2024 season and this year until Singapore, Max has scored 710 points versus 169 for the other Red Bull, a fact that the team and he will be acutely aware off. It’s also a fact that other teams will be aware of and really this season has underlined Max’s position as the top driver in the sport right now, which puts him in control of the driver market for 2027. He can stay at Red Bull where he is revered and wait to see who has the best package with the new rules in 2026 before choosing to either stay or go to Ferrari, Mercedes, Aston Martin or Audi if they find the magic bullet with the new power units.

In George’s case, it’s a more complicated affair because he is managed by Mercedes and therefore Toto is somewhat negotiating against himself while George is a bit of a passenger in his own destiny. The public courting of Max put George slightly on the back foot in terms of the power dynamic between him and Toto. If I was George, I would be taking this experience as an indication that the time has come for him to take control of his own management and destiny. He needed Mercedes to get him to where he is today but he is driving beautifully and is one of the top dogs in the paddock.

For 2026, without securing Max, Mercedes needed him as much as he needed Mercedes and it’s not a surprise that he will be in the Silver Arrows for next year, but what happens for 2027 and beyond? That’s where the interesting part of this agreement lies and George has to get it right. Let’s say Mercedes gets Max for 2027, George needs to ensure that a) he’s the one in the other car and not Antonelli, and b) he still gets equal billing to Max and is not resigned to a number two status. It’s vital for him to spend 2026 working on some other options in case Mercedes chooses Max and Kimi.

McLaren has worked hard at creating equal opportunities for both drivers to fight for the world championship, which has sometimes created extra complexities for themselves. Both drivers are locked in for the next few years of course and it was smart and important for the team to secure those contracts at a point when neither driver was really gaining the upper hand within the team.

This ensured that Zak Brown and Andrea Stella were in the more powerful seats of that dynamic as the drivers knew that if they didn’t sign, McLaren had another driver who was equally capable of delivering for the team. One of these drivers will become world champion at the end of this year and that will potentially change the dynamic within the team. A tantalising prospect as we roll into 2026 – especially if McLaren hits the ground running next year with the best car again.