George Russell has described his prolonged contract talks with Mercedes as “conflicting", but he remains confident about maintaining control over

Wednesday’s fast-paced F1 news includes George Russell closing in on a new Mercedes contract after Max Verstappen’s decision to stay at Red Bull for F1 2026. Let’s charge through the day’s main headlines at breakneck speed.

Mercedes has reportedly decided to strike a deal with George Russell after Max Verstappen revealed his commitment to Red Bull for the 2026 Season.

Toto Wolff has issued an update over the Mercedes F1 contract saga after Martin Brundle labelled the situation 'embarrassing' for George Russell. ➡️ READ MORE McLaren chief Zak Brown shares Christian Horner 'shame' after F1 exit McLaren boss Zak Brown has admitted he felt it was ' a shame' to see his former rival Christian Horner recently bow out of F1.

Mercedes driver George Russell is set to sign a multi-year contract extension with the team, PlanetF1.com understands. It comes after PlanetF1.com revealed at last weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix that Max Verstappen has opted to stay with Red Bull for the F1 2026 season.

George Russell has addressed the topic of a potential contract extension with Mercedes ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix.

There’s nothing new about the Verstappen to Mercedes rumour, which began last year as Toto Wolff publicly courted the Red Bull driver as a replacement for the Ferrari-bound Lewis Hamilton. Wolff went on to sign Mercedes junior Kimi Antonelli as Russell’s F1 2025 team-mate, but both drivers are out of contract at the end of this season.