George Russell’s new Mercedes deal: a pay rise, a power play, and a clear message
Mercedes finally closed the loop on one of the paddock’s longest-running subplots this season, confirming George Russell will stay on at Brackley — and, if the whispers are accurate, with a pay packet that puts him in F1’s top tier.
After months of chatter about terms and timing, Russell’s extension arrives as Mercedes resets around him in the post-Hamilton era. With Lewis Hamilton now in red at Ferrari and Andrea Kimi Antonelli alongside him at Mercedes, Russell is the grown-up in the room and, increasingly, the face of the team.
The numbers, as ever in F1, are unofficial and slippery. But multiple paddock sources suggest Russell’s base salary climbs from around $23 million to roughly $30 million for next season, nudging him into the top four behind Max Verstappen, Hamilton and Lando Norris. Whether you put stock in salary league tables or not, it’s a statement: Mercedes have nailed their colours to Russell’s mast.
Asked about the deal, Russell didn’t bother dressing it up. If every seat on the grid were open, he said, he’d still pick Mercedes. The money, he insisted, isn’t the point. “I want to win,” he told reporters. And he’s done a bit of that this year too — Canada and Singapore the highlights of a campaign that’s seen him emerge as one of the few race winners in a season dominated by familiar heavy-hitters.
The timing is no accident. Mercedes quietly explored their options earlier in the year, but Toto Wolff’s dream scenario never materialised after Verstappen reaffirmed his commitment to Red Bull. Once that door clanged shut, the path to a Russell-led project became obvious, even inevitable.
Negotiations lingered longer than you’d expect for a driver already in-house and in form, which only fuelled speculation about the sticking points — length, salary, even PR days got a run-out in the rumour mill. In the end, it sounds like both sides found the middle ground: a multi-year arrangement, widely believed to be a 1+1 structure. Translation: enough security to plan, enough flexibility to react.
Russell’s own line on the fine print was familiar: performance is the currency that matters. “That’s what keeps you in this sport,” he said. It’s also what gives him leverage. He’s become the team’s anchor on Sundays, sharper and more complete than at any point in his Mercedes tenure, and he’s carried the leadership baton without fuss.
Zoom out and the bigger picture suits both parties. 2026 looms with a rules reset that will tilt power balances again, and Mercedes — never shy about playing the long game — will like the idea of a proven race winner guiding a rookie in Antonelli and galvanising a factory that’s rediscovered some rhythm. For Russell, staying put means continuity with a group that’s finally given him a car capable of pouncing when the window opens.
As for the salary chatter, treat the figures like you would a pit wall delta in drizzle: useful, not gospel. Official numbers are unicorns in F1. But the direction of travel is unmistakable, and so is the intent. Mercedes have paid to keep their man, and they’ve made him the cornerstone around which everything else will be built.
The subtext? This isn’t just a contract. It’s a declaration of hierarchy. Russell is the lead act at Brackley now — and he’s being compensated like one.
