The Briton, now in his fourth season with the team, has yet to confirm whether he will remain beyond 2025, even as speculation about his long-term place alongside rookie Kimi Antonelli continues.
Ahead of this weekend’s Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort, Russell revealed that talks with Mercedes were deliberately paused over the summer break at his request.
“This was my choice to be honest,” Russell said when asked why talks were on hold in August. “Toto [Wolff, Mercedes team principal] and the team were very open to discuss and come to a solution during the break but I didn’t want to use those precious two weeks that we have to really take the time off and recharge.
“Ultimately, there is no time pressure from my side, there’s no major time pressure from the team’s side, we’ll get it done when the time is right.”
The 27-year-old has delivered one of his strongest campaigns to date, including a victory at the Canadian Grand Prix and five additional podiums, leaving him fourth in the standings heading into the final 10 rounds. Despite that form, no formal announcement has been made on his extension.
Russell explained that both he and Mercedes want to ensure the deal is handled carefully rather than rushed.
“Naturally, we wanted to take the summer off to sort of relax and reset, but [we are] positively moving in the right direction,” he said. “But I think as there is no time pressure from the team’s side and no time pressure from our side, we’re just ensuring it’s done properly.
“Of course, you are juggling priorities. It’s not like the world stops to sort a contract.
“We’ve got to worry about race weekends, we’re focusing on future development, already looking ahead to next year, sponsorship days, things sometimes do take longer than you would anticipate.”
While questions have lingered over whether the duration of his new contract was delaying progress, Russell dismissed the suggestion.
“No, not at all, to be honest,” he said.
“I think there’s pros and cons into having short term [or] long term. I think for me, this season has proved more than ever, ultimately, it always comes down to performance.
“The truth is I want to win with Mercedes, I want to win a World Championship, and that is my number one goal, and I hope that to be here with the team.
“But of course, I’m 28 next year, I’m still feeling pretty young, but at some point, I need to make sure everything is right and we’re all heading in the right direction.”
Wolff had suggested before the break that Russell would be retained, though the lack of an official confirmation has kept the matter alive in the paddock.
Meanwhile, Antonelli is also waiting for his future to be formally secured.
The 19-year-old has endured an up-and-down debut campaign, highlighted by a podium in Canada but followed by a tougher run of results before the break.
He described the two-week pause as vital to regrouping ahead of the season’s final stretch.
“The break was important because it’s been a very intense first part of the season,” he said.
“Not going to lie, I was pretty drained coming into the last couple of races but this holiday was good to reset and reorganise all the ideas, all my thoughts and I’m really excited to be back.
“[It] was really important to look back at the first part of the season with a bit more time, a bit more calm and I was able to relax myself.
“I come into this weekend with a clearer view on what I have to do and what I want to achieve.”
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