George Russell has insisted he is “not thinking” about his future at Mercedes after next season, despite suggestions his place could be in jeopardy.
Russell is out of contract with the Brackley-based team at the end of 2025, with Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff understood to want to lure F1 champion Max Verstappen.
New technical regulations will come into force for the 2026 campaign, creating a chance for a bet on the hierarchy.
The last time there was such a significant change to the rules of F1 in 2014, Mercedes emerged as the clear leader of the pack and maintained its lead for several years.
Although Russell sees the team’s future prospects as bright, the 26-year-old hinted that he is not worried about his future after next year. “It’s super exciting for 2026 with Mercedes,” Russell told select media, including RacingNews365.
“There’s nothing signed yet for the future, and it’s something I don’t even think about, really.”
Russell is attentive to the benefits of Mercedes customers
But in addition to supplying its own team, Mercedes will also supply engines to McLaren and Williams in 2026.
It is also strongly linked with a collaboration with the Alpine team, as Renault evaluates the future of its engine project.
Despite expressing confidence in Mercedes’ high-performance engine department, Russell played down Mercedes’ prospects by pointing out that rival teams use the same engine.
“Mercedes will be a great place, especially with the engines, but there is more than one team with a Mercedes engine, so we can’t be too optimistic, just because we think we will have a fast engine. “McLaren still has a fast engine, and so does Williams.
“Currently we are beaten by [McLaren]. I don’t consider them a customer team, all things being equal.
“They have their own team that has the same engine. But as it is, they do a better job than us.”