George Russell is reportedly subject to interest from Aston Martin and Cadillac, with Mercedes facing a fight to retain their star drivers. In the admittedly unlikely event that the four-time Grand Prix winner moves away from the Silver Arrows, Toto Wolff would be left ruing his decision not to reward the Brit with a new contract sooner. Russell heads into the summer break without a contract beyond the end of the season, and the same goes for team-mate Kimi Antonelli.
Team principal Wolff had been keeping his options open in the hopes of luring Max Verstappen to Brackley, but this move is now off the cards after the Dutchman pledged his allegiance to Red Bull for 2026 in Hungary. With Verstappen’s move to Mercedes out of the question, the path is clear for both Russell and Antonelli to pen new terms with the Silver Arrows. However, the Brackley squad aren’t the only team interested in the 27-year-old’s services.
According to a report from Sky Sports, both Aston Martin and Cadillac are interested in the Brit, although the former already have a contracted driver line-up in Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso. F1’s latest addition to the grid are reportedly close to signing Valtteri Bottas, but still have a seat free.
While Russell has options, the man from King’s Lynn is keen to extend his stay with Wolff’s squad. Heading into the summer break, he trails third-placed Verstappen by just 15 points in the Drivers’ Championship standings. A move elsewhere would be a significant risk ahead of the first year of the new technical regulations.
Speaking about his contract situation in Hungary, Russell was very relaxed. “I’ve got nothing to be worried about,” he told Sky Sports F1 on Sunday. “And nothing’s going to happen over summer.
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“Because, honestly, I just want to have a rest and recharge and come back stronger for the second half of the year. But there’s no time pressure either way now. So it’ll happen when it will happen.”
Russell then added: “I’m 27 now, I’ve been with the team for four years. Next year would be my fifth. We want to build the relationship together, but it’s got to be right, and I don’t want to rush it. I’ve been waiting 12 months. I’m not going to just rush it in the course of two weeks. So we’ll sit down when the time is right.”
While Russell’s new deal seems a matter of when, not if, there is more uncertainty surrounding Antonelli’s next steps. The Italian teenager is experiencing a difficult run of form that has produced just two top-10 finishes in the last eight race weekends.