George Russell has admitted that he’s not “urgent massively” to get a brand new contract signed with Mercedes as he insists that efficiency is the precedence – although the Briton additionally acknowledged that “it does assist if there was pen on paper”.
There has lengthy been hypothesis over when Russell may agree a brand new take care of the Silver Arrows, along with his present contract working till the tip of 2025.
Following the Briton’s robust Qualifying efficiency final day trip in Canada, crew boss Toto Wolff conceded that Russell was giving the squad “all the reasons” to re-sign him – however the Austrian went on to say that the motive force’s victory on race day had no bearing on his future because the crew already “know he can carry out”.
Throughout Thursday’s media day forward of this weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix, Russell was quizzed on what extra he needed to do to safe a brand new contract off the again of his win in Montreal.
“You are asking the fallacious individual, to be trustworthy!” the 27-year-old joked. “Don’t know.”
Pushed on how the talks with Wolff have been going – and whether or not they have been certainly going – Russell continued: “Yeah, a bit bit. No main updates as but.
“It isn’t one thing that I am urgent massively as a result of, as I’ve at all times stated, the efficiency is the precedence, and I really feel with the efficiency I am displaying in the meanwhile – nonetheless in keeping with the efficiency I’ve proven over all these years – I’ve bought zero causes to be anxious. However clearly it does assist if there was pen on paper.”
The four-time race winner went on to present his tackle why the method has not been performed but, in addition to reflecting on why he has not felt the necessity to push to finish contract talks.
“I needn’t chase as a result of I really feel that I am doing a great job,” Russell defined. “It goes each methods – I would like them, they want me and that is the way it goes. Mercedes are so bold, they wish to be again on prime.
“They should perceive and assume how are they going to carry Mercedes again on prime. You want to have the most effective crew principal, you have to have the most effective drivers in your automobile, you have to have the most effective engineers inside your crew.
“Toto has made it clear to me that he thinks how I am performing this yr is pretty much as good as anyone. I believe there’s just one driver which you could debate by way of efficiency, these are his phrases not my phrases.
“In order that’s why I’ve no concern concerning the future, however there’s two seats to each crew and I assume he must assume who’re these two drivers going to be for these two seats. I assume that is what the delay is.”
Whereas Russell and Mercedes loved their strongest weekend of the season to this point in Montreal, the British racer shouldn’t be satisfied that they may constantly expertise that degree of efficiency going forwards.
“I believe the efficiency of Canada was positively a little bit of a one-off,” stated Russell. “We have been on pole final yr in Canada, we most likely ought to have gained the race, and our automobile performs very well when the tyres are usually not overheating, so on tracks the place it is low-speed corners, the place it is clean tarmac, hopefully when the temperature is down.
“At quick circuit tracks the place it is scorching, like Barcelona, like Imola, most likely right here [in Austria], it isn’t so good.”
