Martin Brundle: “The cards have turned” in George Russell’s favour amid Mercedes contract talks

Martin Brundle believes George Russell has gained leverage in his Mercedes contract negotiations following Max Verstappen’s commitment to Red Bull

Former Formula 1 driver and Sky Sports F1 presenter Martin Brundle has claimed that "the cards have turned around" in George Russell's contract negotiations with Mercedes.

Four-time champion Max Verstappen confirmed yesterday that he will remain with Red Bull in 2026 following weeks of rumours linking him to a Mercedes contract. Mercedes chief Toto Wolff previously confirmed that he was in talks with the Dutchman, but admitted that the likelihood of him joining the Brackley outfit next year was low.

Both Russell and his team-mate Andrea Kimi Antonelli are out of contract with Mercedes at the end of the current season, and where Mercedes may have previously held the cards in negotiations with Russell, Brundle believes the British driver now holds more power in those conversations.

"Performance is everything, there's no doubt about it," Brundle explained to Sky Sports F1. "They all roughly know what each other earn, so George is not going to want to be underpaid. Why should he be?

"He’ll want some certainty. What he won’t want to do is find himself in this position again next year if Max Verstappen happens to be on the market.

"If I was managing George, I would have said, ‘Don’t say you’ll drive for nothing’ or ‘don’t say you’ll pay, please, because that’s going to come back and hurt us somewhere’.

"But I know the point he was trying to make. The cards have turned around, haven’t they? Because suddenly George is by far and away the best driver available in the world of Formula 1 who doesn’t have a contract next year.

George Russell, Mercedes

Photo by: Sam Bagnall / Sutton Images via Getty Images

"So now, suddenly, he’s like, ‘I’m going to slow this down a little bit.’ That’s how I’m reading it."

Russell discussed his contract with the media again yesterday, which Brundle referred to.

"I'm seven years into Formula 1 right now. I feel that I'm at my peak, and I still feel that I'm getting stronger as a driver," Russell commented.

"I was maybe more anxious about getting a deal done maybe 12 months ago than six months ago ahead of 2026. But right now, I've sort of waited so long, I want to make sure it's right, and it's got to be right for the team. It's got to be right for myself.

"It's got to all make sense. The duration has to be right both ways. So it's not as simple as just saying, like, are you happy with what you're being paid. I mean, that's a very small factor of it. You've got to have faith in the performance as well in future.

"Because, I would pay to be a world champion. Pay to fight for a world championship. And that's where I am right now, and that is the priority."