George Russell hands 'you need me' vow to Mercedes over F1 future

George Russell believes Mercedes "needs me" as much as he "needs them" as he remains without a signed 2026 F1 contract.

The Briton's deal expires at the end of this year, with team-mate Kimi Antonelli only on a single-year contract for his rookie year, as boss Toto Wolff openly courts Max Verstappen from Red Bull. 

However, after months of chasing Verstappen's signature, Wolff appeared to indicate that such a move would not happen for 2026, describing how his "absolute priority" was to remain with a Russell-Antonelli line-up for the sweeping rule changes coming in for next season.

When questioned about the situation, Russell believes both he and Mercedes will mutually benefit from an extension being agreed.

"That was for you, not for me," Russell told media, including RacingNews365, when asked about Wolff's comments, and whether it added any 'safety' to his position.

"Who knows what happens behind closed doors, but nothing from my side has changed. I wasn't even aware of this statement until one hour ago, so it is not something I'm looking for or care about.

"In these last months, I'm going from a position where I was stressed about my future, and I was concerned about it, and I'll just continue to perform, and it is in my own hands, so there is no point losing sleep over it.

"Mercedes needs the best drivers in their race car, and I believe that I am right up there, and I don't think there are many people doing a better job than I am. 

"So I need them, and they need me, and that is how it goes in racing."