Former Haas Formula 1 team principal Guenther Steiner believes George Russell has more leverage over Mercedes in the ongoing contract negotiations for a 2026 seat.
The British driver, who has been with the Mercedes F1 team since 2022 and a Mercedes junior driver since 2017, is yet to secure a 2026 contract with the Brackley outfit despite securing two grand prix wins so far this year in Canada and Singapore and leading the team with rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli in the seat on the other side of the garage.
While at this stage it looks as though the contract is a formality, with both Russell and team chief Toto Wolff remaining confident that they will reach an agreement shortly, Steiner has pinpointed what he believes could be the sticking points in the negotiations.
"He will get one [a contract]. I mean, if he doesn’t get it with Mercedes, he gets it somewhere else. But obviously, George knows what he’s worth, and I would say he doesn’t want Mercedes' terms. He wants to do the best for him," Steiner explained on The Red Flags Podcast.
"Everybody was scared last year. 'Oh, Lewis is leaving. Do you think George can take the lead of the team?' No s**t. He did pretty good, and now he’s waiting for a contract. So, I think he just tries to negotiate the best terms for him, and I guess he wants more than a one-year contract."
Rumours circulated earlier in the 2025 season that four-time champion Max Verstappen could be eyeing a move to Mercedes in 2026. Wolff confirmed talks between the two parties, but Verstappen, who is under contract with Red Bull until 2028, later announced his commitment to the Milton Keynes outfit for 2026, while still hinting that the door could be open for a move in 2027.
"I guess Toto is playing at give him one year, so if Max comes free or Max wants to leave Red Bull, I got a place for Max and my love child, Kimi Antonelli. And obviously, George is saying that doesn’t work for me. That’s not my ideal situation. And in the moment, who is performing? George. So, he’s in a pretty good position to negotiate.
"I wouldn’t say he has got a lot of leverage, but he has got a lot of good reasons why he should get a contract and why he doesn’t bend over to get a contract. He says, 'These are my terms.' And I guess he wants as well to be paid well, like all the other top drivers or even more. So, I don’t know."
When asked how much leverage Russell has in the negotiations with the lack of other available seats for 2026, Steiner added: "But think about it, Mercedes is even in a tougher place. Who would they put in there if he doesn’t sign a one-year contract? And that is his leverage because Mercedes would be, you know, who they put in there?
"I mean there is nobody available because Mercedes needs to fight for world championships. It’s not like a midfield team, where you take whatever the best you can get for the money you’ve got. Mercedes, if they are participating in F1, they want to win the world championship. They’re not here to participate. They are here to win. So who else is there than George?
"So I think that is his leverage that Mercedes has no other option. That’s for next year, and that is his play. 'I want more than next year' because in '27 if, for example, just hypothetical Max decides Red Bull isn’t good enough for me. I want to go to Mercedes. Obviously, then George would have the chance to go to Red Bull. But at that stage, Red Bull has got all the leverage over George that if you want our seat, and we don’t know how good or how bad the Red Bull will be anyway in '27, but they have got the leverage, where else would you go? So I think in the moment, the biggest leverage for George is that Mercedes has nobody else to go in the car next year."
The lack of contract announcement for Russell has been questioned by many within the F1 paddock, including Martin Brundle and Nico Rosberg, but Steiner argued that the talks have not become tense between Wolff and the Briton.
"I think Toto and George know each other for so long, so well, because I mean we never have to forget Toto got George into Formula 1. It was Toto. We need to respect that one as well. So I think it is just a negotiation. I don’t think it is tense between them. Obviously, sometimes their conversations will be pretty tough, but I think George’s manager, who I don’t know who that is in the moment, will take the lead in it. So, you’re not confrontational with another team member."
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