Toto Wolff Hints George Russell Mercedes F1 Contract Renewal Incoming

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has hinted that the team will soon be signing a contract extension with George Russell after he secured pole position and dominated the Canadian Grand Prix, keeping Red Bull’s Max Verstappen at bay. The race marked Russell’s first win of the season.

Russell’s Mercedes contract expires at the end of 2025, and that had many wondering if the Brackley outfit was considering other options. However, Wolff’s statement in Canada suggests Russell’s contract extension will be happening soon.

The team boss praised Russell for leading the team impressively and for having the right attitude. He told Sky Sports F1:

“He’s giving us all the reasons to do that quickly. We know what he’s capable of doing and he has been leading this team now since a while. He has the pace and the right attitude.

“He’s been a Mercedes junior [for] such a long time, and we are on track in doing what we’ve always planned.”

Russell took charge as the lead Mercedes driver after Lewis Hamilton’s exit to Ferrari. The seven-time world champion was replaced by rookie driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli.

Sunday’s race saw Russell lead from the start, outperforming both McLarens, which have been dominant this season, and four-time world champion Verstappen. The win marks the Briton’s fifth podium this season. Coincidentally, he started last year’s Canadian GP on pole, but finished third. Speaking to Sky Sports after the race, he admitted that the 2025 race settled the score from last year. He said:

“It feels a bit of a redemption compared to last year because I was really disappointed with my performance last year and we should have won.

“It was my mistakes that let the team down but I’m in a different place right now and I feel like I’m driving better than ever. I felt pretty chilled throughout the whole race.”

Considering the clash between the two McLarens that brought out the yellow flags in the last leg of the race, Russell hoped they would continue to give away points in this manner. He said:

“I don’t know how both Max and I are so close to those two (Piastri and Norris) in the championship because McLaren clearly have the dominant car.

“I cannot imagine they will keep throwing away points in the manner that they are doing, but of course, we hope that continues to be the case.”

Speaking further on Russell’s contract extension, Wolff hinted at a timeline. He added:

“The ambience in the team is great and we’ve agreed on some kind of timeline when we want to settle these things, with triple headers getting out of the way and one race after the other in June and July but we’re going to get there.”