Russell the new Bottas? 'He may just get the same deal at Mercedes with Verstappen there'
A filmmaker with a soft spot for Ronnie Peterson, Gilles Villeneuve, Mika Hakkinen and above all, Tazio Nuvolari and Ayrton Senna, is also a diehard Formula One fan since the age of 4 (mid-90's). An avid researcher of the past of Grand Prix Racing since before it was even named F1, and with a thirst for knowledge of the ins and outs of the actuality of the sport, as well as for the technical aspects that define it, is a member of GPblog since 2023, where he has put his love of racing to good use.
Max Verstappen going to Mercedes is the focus of the paddock this weekend in Austria. Bad news for George Russell? It may very well be and here's why.
Former Aston Martin F1 team engineer Bernie Collins, sees George Russell having a strong hand with which to negotiate a better deal with, with fellow Sky Sports presenter and former F1 driver Karun Chandhok suggesting Russell might as well be open to landing a mere one-year deal at Mercedes.
In Sky Sports broadcast Collins said: “I think that if I were in Russell’s position, you would probably want more than a one-year deal. You don’t want to be having this year-in, year-out, the conversation.
However, Mercedes are currently seen as the team in the strongest position going into next year with a more engine-dominated set of regulations set to be implemented in 2026.
“We expect Mercedes to be strong next year with the new engine rules, but we just don’t know. None of the teams really know where they’re going to be when the cars hit the track next January, next February when they start to go testing.“
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Bottas-like deal for Russell at Mercedes if Max Verstappen signs
In a bid to maintain team harmony,Mercedes chose to renew Valtteri Bottas on a year-to-year basis, seeing how the animosity grew to unprecedented levels at Mercedes as Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg's title fight reached a tipping point in 2016.
For Russell there may be no other alternative but to play ball and sign a one-year deal, should Verstappen choose to jump the Red Bull Racing ship over to Mercedes in 2027. Something that would stillgive him a shot to fight for the championship come next season, so all in all, not a bad option at all, according to Collins "So, I think Russell will want more than that, but he’s probably not going to be that unhappy either way.”
Team principal Toto Wolff has also openly stated he is waiting for Verstappen to 'make up his mind' on where he will drive next season.
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