'I want to win with Mercedes' – Russell's new F1 contract will be confirmed 'when the time is right'

George Russell has admitted that his Formula 1 future will be confirmed "when the time is right" but that he hopes to "win with Mercedes" in 2026 and beyond.

The Briton's future has been one of the main off-track sagas this season, with months of speculation suggesting he could lose his Mercedes seat to Max Verstappen.

The four-time World Champion confirmed before the summer break in Hungary that he would remain with Red Bull for 2026, but neither Russell or Mercedes revealed their plans for next year.

Ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix this weekend, Russell admitted that he was in no rush to sign a new contract and that no further negotiations had taken place during the two-week gap ahead of Zandvoort.

"This was my choice to be honest," said Russell, when asked why no contract negotiations had taken place 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."

Russell has been one of the top performers this season, winning the Canadian Grand Prix and achieving five further podiums which have left him fourth in the Drivers' Championship.

This season marks his fourth campaign with Mercedes, with Russell keen to continue that relationship at least for one more season.

"The truth is, I just want to win and I want to win with Mercedes. If I could choose, that is what I would choose to do but of course things have to be right, things have to be aligned," he said.

"There's a lot more to our job than just driving on a Sunday afternoon. It's positively moving in the right direction but there's no time pressure from my side."

Team mate Kimi Antonelli's future has also yet to be confirmed, the young Italian having endured a mixed maiden season in F1. This has included a first podium in Canada, but more recently a difficult run of form that has produced just a single point in the last four races.

The 18-year-old admitted that he sees the final 10 races of the season as "a new start, a new chapter", and that the summer break has been pivotal in order to reset.

"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."

He added: "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."