George Russell has a clause in his new Mercedes contract that could guarantee his place in the team for the 2027 season. This means that, as long as key performance markers are met, it will be Kimi Antonelli who is in danger of losing his seat to Max Verstappen.

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff found himself wrapped up in a public pursuit of Verstappen earlier this year when, before Christian Horner's exit in July, it looked as though the four-time world champion was angling for a move away from Red Bull.

However, Horner was removed, and Red Bull's performance improved under the new boss, Laurent Mekies. This convinced Verstappen to stick it out for the 2026 campaign, although if the Milton Keynes squad fail to provide him with capable machinery next year, he will be on the market once again. Wolff will be waiting with bated breath if that transpires.

But Russell won't be on the chopping block, provided he can meet key performance indicators. "It is something I haven't actually said publicly, but the deal is, if I'm performing, we have a specific clause that if I reach, we will automatically renew for 2027," he told The Telegraph.

"So my seat for 2027 is in my hands. So I'm not being strung along here. We're not going to be in the same position as we were six months ago. If I perform, and I don't want to go into details, but if I perform, then 100 per cent I'll be staying."

Russell's contract negotiations dragged on alongside Wolff's pursuit of Verstappen this season. For months leading up to and following the summer break, the Norfolk-born racer was probed about progress in talks between himself and Mercedes, only to have nothing to report.

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But Russell doesn't regret the manner in which negotiations played out, and believes that his strategy may have landed him a better deal. "Everything works out for the best," he explained.

"I actually wanted to sign the deal back in October 2024, but the deal I got today is substantially better than what I would have got had I signed it then. So yeah, sometimes I think you just have to trust in your ability, and I feel I'm only getting stronger."

A combination of Verstappen and Russell has obvious appeal to fans, given the rivalry between the two drivers, but it would represent a bold choice from Wolff, given his previous experience managing Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg during their four years as team-mates.

Then again, Wolff is no stranger to brave decisions. The Austrian made the call to promote Antonelli into F1 off the back of just one season in Formula Two, and he may need to remove the Italian in an equally bold call if he wants to lure Verstappen to Brackley in the near future.