George Russell Spill the Beans on Max Verstappen Protection Clause in His Mercedes contract

George Russell recently received his long-awaited contract extension at Mercedes after many months of uncertainty. Brackley’s interest in Max Verstappen was not kept a secret from the public, which was likely the reason behind the intense delay. Now, after receiving an alleged multi-year contract, Russell has revealed a clause in his contract that will shield him in case the Dutchman decides to join the team.

The 2025 season of Formula 1 has been great for George Russell in terms of performance. The 27-year-old picked off two impressive race wins throughout the year. With four more races left this year, the Briton is likely to come up as a winning force in atleast one of them. Moreover, Russell was unable to perform mid-way through the season amid Max Verstappen to Mercedes rumors.

George Russell was uncertain about his contract extension at Mercedes as well, with Toto Wolff revealing the reasons behind the intense delay and downplaying the issues. For now, Max Verstappen is fully loyal to Red Bull and is likely to retire there. However, if Milton Keynes suffers miserably under the upcoming regulations, the Dutchman could reconsider his stay. As such, Russell’s new contract has a sort of safety net that will help him against the reigning world champion joining.

George Russell revealed that he hadn’t talked about this clause in his contract publicly before, but the deal helped him achieve a contract extension in the coming season, with a caveat. Russell pointed out that as long as he performed well in 2026, his contract would automatically be extended to the coming season. He insisted that his seat in 2027 was in his own hands, and if he performed well, he would a 100% be continuing with the German carmaker.

It is something I haven’t actually said publicly, but the deal is, if I’m performing [next year], we have a specific clause that if I reach [a target], we will automatically renew for 2027, So my seat for 2027 is in my hands. So I’m not being strung along here. We’re not going to be in the same position as we were six months ago. If I perform, and I don’t want to go into details, but if I perform, then 100% I’ll be staying.

George Russell said via The Telegraph.

George Russell feels he’s ‘getting stronger’ amid contract extension

George Russell has been consistent and is performing well in the 2025 season. Although the Briton has been unable to contend for a driver’s title since joining Mercedes, he is still confident that he will emerge as a winning force in the near future. As such, after months of uncertainty and achieving a contract extension now, he is even more confident in his abilities to shine on the grid and achieve great results.