George Russell has shared the details of a contract clause in his Mercedes deal that should protect him from the threat of four-time Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen.
The British driver finally signed a contract extension with the Brackley outfit after months of negotiations. Russell's future with the team was under the spotlight earlier in the season as team chief Toto Wolff confirmed he had engaged in talks with Verstappen for a potential 2026 seat.
While Wolff admitted that the probability of the Dutchman signing for next year was very low, he remained in no rush to sign the contract extensions for both Russell and his rookie team-mate Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
Shortly after the links with Mercedes, Verstappen reaffirmed his commitment to Red Bull for 2026 but left the door open for a potential exit from the Milton Keynes outfit in the future. As Russell secured the extension with Mercedes, questions still remained as to whether he could run into the same threat next year.
But during an interview with The Telegraph, the 27-year-old has confirmed that his contract for 2027 will be automatically renewed if he reaches a target agreed with Mercedes, leaving his future with the Wolff-led team in his hands.
"It is something I haven't actually said publicly, but the deal is, if I'm performing [next year], we have a specific clause that if I reach [a target], we will automatically renew for 2027," Russell said. "So my seat for 2027 is in my hands.
"So I'm not being strung along here. We're not going to be in the same position as we were six months ago. If I perform, and I don't want to go into details, but if I perform, then 100% I'll be staying."
He added, discussing the delays in the negotiations: "Everything works out for the best. I actually wanted to sign the deal back in October 2024 but the deal I got today is substantially better than what I would have got had I signed it then. So yeah, sometimes I think you just have to trust in your ability and I feel I'm only getting stronger."
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