Nico Rosberg Pinpoints Max Verstappen Factor in Delayed George Russell Talks with Mercedes

Nico Rosberg reckons that the possibility of Max Verstappen joining Mercedes has caused them to delay George Russell's contract extension.

Nico Rosberg Pinpoints Max Verstappen Factor in Delayed George Russell Talks with Mercedes

Max Verstappen (via IMAGO), Nico Rosberg (via GP33), and George Russell (via IMAGO)

George Russell has put forth a very consistent performance this year at Mercedes. The Briton has achieved points in almost all races with one win at the recent Canadian GP. Despite the strong-looking performance, Mercedes still hasn’t confirmed Russell’s contract extension beyond 2025. As such, ex-F1 champion Nico Rosberg ponders if Max Verstappen is the indirect reason behind the 27-year-old’s delayed contract talks.

Toto Wolff’s interest in acquiring Max Verstappen in the German squad has not died down despite the driver lineup stability. The Austrian billionaire always hoped Verstappen would consider joining Mercedes, even though the latter clearly denied the possibility. Still, Red Bull’s extremely unstable state might have pushed the Dutchman to open up talks with Wolff about the coming seasons. Hence, Nico Rosberg guessed that this might be the reason George Russell still has not been confirmed for 2026 and beyond.

Speaking on Max Verstappen’s continuous struggles at Red Bull, Nico Rosberg pointed out that Milton Keynes paid the former a fortune and finalized the contract atleast until the end of the 2028 season and wouldn’t let him leave so easily. Still, Rosberg reckoned that the team couldn’t force him to stay as his ditching the team due to massive struggles was imminent. As such, the 2016 F1 champion highlighted that the Austrian constructor needed to accept the reality at some point and let the reigning world champion go.

Red Bull is not stupid. They paid Max a fortune and signed him for several years. I don’t think he can just run away. But you can’t force you to stay. If he wants to leave, you have to accept it at some point.

Nico Rosberg said, as reported by motorsportweek

Rosberg asserted that George Russell’s future at Mercedes isn’t locked in until now, as there is a lot of delay in the contractual talks. The one-time champion declared that Russell is a great driver who has showcased a mega performance this year. However, the German speculated that Mercedes had initiated talks with Max Verstappen, which caused the unexpected delay in the Briton’s confirmation with the team. If it ever came to snubbing one driver from Brackley, the 27-year-old likely gets the axe as prodigy Kimi Antonelli has showcased great promise in his debut season.

On the other hand, there is also the George Russell situation at Mercedes. There is some delay in it, because Toto Wolff should actually sign him now. This is his number one driver, his performance this season is mega again. Maybe there are some talks in the background with the Verstappen side.

Nico Rosberg added

Toto Wolff provides ‘timeline’ to lock in George Russell for 2026

Toto Wolff took a gamble after acquiring the services of rookie Kimi Antonelli, which seemed to pay off well. Now, Wolff accepts that the current ambience in the team is great, as they occupy the runner-up spot in the constructors’ championship. Still, the 53-year-old declared that the team needed to wait for some time and not rush into finalizing the same lineup for the upcoming regulation changes in the 2026 season.

Toto Wolff, George Russell and Kimi Antonelli (via Formula1.com)
Toto Wolff, George Russell, and Kimi Antonelli (via Formula1.com)

Toto Wolff hinted that the Silver Arrows must wait on some sort of ‘timeline’ before settling down with George Russell and Kimi Antonelli. The Mercedes team boss pointed out that the hectic race weekends and triple header caused the unexpected delay in locking in the drivers for the 2026 season. However, the Austrian billionaire reassured that a mutual agreement would soon be reached as Brackley aims to finalize the situation sometime over the summer break.

The ambience in the team is great, We must wait on some kind of timeline when we want to settle these things. With triple headers getting out of the way and one race after the other now in June and July. But we’re going to get there.

Toto Wolff said, as quoted by MotorsportWeek

Mercedes has remained a great competitor to McLaren and Red Bull at the forefront. While George Russell has achieved only a single win until now, he is on the trajectory to win many more and keep achieving podium finishes. Now, the ball is in Brackley’s court as they need to lock in the drivers before rival teams swoop them with a lucrative offer and leave them empty-handed. Hence, the final call on the lineup is likely to be announced soon, with the drivers’ market looking to open up even more.

Read more: Racing Icon Asks ‘Million Dollar’ Question over Max Verstappen’s 2026 Title Prospects