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Mercedes have finally confirmed that George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli will be their Formula 1 drivers next season.
The F1 driver market hasn’t been particularly captivating this season, but Mercedes have kept things interesting.
George Russell was entering the final year of his deal, while Kimi Antonelli was only handed an official one-year contract during his rookie Formula 1 season.
Team principal Toto Wolff had hinted that Russell and Antonelli’s contract extensions were done for a long time, but he has waited until the eve of the United States Grand Prix to officially announce their futures on the grid were secure.
However, Mercedes have held a long-term interest in Max Verstappen, and all eyes were on whether Russell would sign a one-year deal, or if he would be handed a long-term extension.
Information coming out of the Brackley-based team has now indicated which direction Wolff eventually decided to go in.
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George Russell and Kimi Antonelli confirmed for the 2026 Formula 1 season
A report from The Race, corroborated with information from The Athletic, has shared more details about Russell’s future.
The official statement from Mercedes states that Russell and Russell will ‘continue as the Mercedes driver line-up into 2026’.
However, The Athletic believes that Russell has signed a ‘multi-year deal’ to stay with Mercedes for the foreseeable future.
On top of this, The Race believe that Russell is tied down for the 2027 Formula 1 season.
The reason, it’s believed, that Mercedes have not confirmed this publicly is because they don’t want to be dragged into talking about specific details of the agreements.
On top of this, both Mercedes and Russell know that 2026 represents a completely changing landscape in Formula 1.
The upcoming regulation changes mean that Mercedes could suddenly be the team to beat, or if they’ve made a mistake in the power unit or aerodynamics department, marooned at the back of the grid.
Mercedes are expected to have the best engine next year, but if Russell struggles, or the team don’t live up to his expectations, then not revealing too much about their new contract could give both parties the flexibility to be nimble in the driver market if required.
George Russell ‘really proud’ to continue racing for Mercedes into 2026
After his new deal was confirmed, Russell said in his official statement: “I am really proud to be continuing our journey together.
“Next year will mark my 10th year since I signed with Mercedes back in 2017.
“It has been such a long and successful partnership with the team so far, and I can’t wait to see what lies ahead, particularly as we embark on one of the largest regulation changes in the sport’s history next year.
“We are all incredibly focused on making that a success and, for me personally, building on what has been my strongest season in F1 to date.”
Russell’s new contract will see him overtake Valtteri Bottas as the driver with the third-most Grand Prix starts for Mercedes next year.
He’s currently 49 race starts behind Nico Rosberg heading into the United States Grand Prix.
It means he’ll need to spend one more year beyond his contract’s proposed 2027 expiry date to go ahead of the one-time world champion, but he still has a long way to go to reach Lewis Hamilton’s 246 Grand Prix entries for the Silver Arrows.
- Ben Evans
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