With Max Verstappen confirmed at Red Bull for F1 2026, the ball is now in the court of George Russell, says Martin Brundle.

However, considering his driver management background, Sky F1 pundit Brundle could not help but cringe when he heard Russell say he would “pay” to fight for the world championship.

George Russell: Formula 1 future with Mercedes?

Russell is piecing together his strongest campaign yet in F1 2025. He claimed a fourth career win in Canada, and has registered five further podiums.

Yet, as it stands, he does not have a contract for next season.

For a time, Russell’s Mercedes future was called into question due to the possibility that Verstappen would trigger an exit clause in his Red Bull contract. That did not happen.

But, Russell has not yet signed a new Mercedes deal. Neither has team-mate Kimi Antonelli.

And speaking at the Hungarian Grand Prix, where Verstappen confirmed his place at Red Bull for F1 2026, Russell gave a fresh update on his Mercedes contract situation.

“I’m seven years into Formula 1 right now. I feel that I’m at my peak. I still feel that I’m getting stronger as a driver,” said Russell.

“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. 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 feel, have faith in the performance as well in future.

“Because, you know, I would pay to be a world champion. I would pay to fight for a world championship. And that’s where I am right now, and that is the priority for me.”

Brundle was the long-term manager of 13-time grand prix winner David Coulthard, and speaking from experience, got a little twitchy when he heard Russell’s comments about salary.

While Russell races for Mercedes, the team is also his management.

“Performance is everything. There’s no doubt about it,” said Brundle in response to Russell’s words.

“They all roughly know what each other earns. So George is not going to want to be underpaid. Why should he be?

“But 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.”

To Brundle’s mind, with Verstappen now off the market, Russell is taking advantage of the more favourable position he finds himself in.

“But, the cards have turned around, because suddenly George is far and away the best driver available in the world of Formula 1, who doesn’t have a contract next year,” Brundle continued.

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