George Russell remains in suspense about his future with Mercedes. Rumors of a potential move by Max Verstappen to the German team continue to circulate, and a contract extension for the British driver is still pending. Former Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz, who knows what it’s like to face uncertainty about your Formula 1 career, empathizes with his colleague.
George Russell still has no certainty about his future with Mercedes. The Brit’s contract with the Silver Arrows expires this year, and discussions about a possible contract extension are ongoing. However, Russell himself has previously stated that he is not worried. “The chances are slim that I won’t be with Mercedes next year,” he even said on the eve of his home race at Silverstone.
Carlos Sainz knows what it feels like to have no certainty about your Formula 1 career. The Spaniard had to look for a new employer last year after Ferrari decided to replace him with Lewis Hamilton. Therefore, Sainz empathizes with his fellow GPDA chairman. “As a driver, it’s not an ideal situation,” the current Williams driver explains to talkSPORT Driving. “We all try to hide that it affects you, we try not to be affected.”
Not an Ideal Situation
Despite all the speculation, Sainz believes that George Russell can still perform. “I strongly believe that, just like last year, you can still have a very strong season with all the noise around your future and around your team, as evidenced by what George is doing this year and what I did last year,” he says. Russell consistently finished in the top five in the first six races of the current season, even claiming victory in Montreal. “But at the same time, it’s not ideal,” Sainz continues. “It’s noise for you, for the team, and for your engineers and mechanics.”
According to Russell, the lack of an official contract extension doesn’t matter much to him, as it all ultimately comes down to performance. However, Sainz thinks that no driver likes to be without a seat for the next season. “In an ideal situation, the way you go racing and achieve results is when all this is calm,” the Spaniard adds. “When there is one hundred percent trust between you and the team, and when there is one hundred percent commitment from both parties. Even without this, you can still have a very successful season, but it’s not the ideal situation and it’s not what every driver wants.”