George Russell’s new F1 deal with Mercedes has finally been announced, but it’s best described as a mutual piece of bet-hedging that could still leave both parties free to do something different for 2027. After years when the likes of Charles Leclerc, Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen - in theory, at least - were being tied down to very long-term deals with their employers, this Russell announcement feels like a massive outlier with its implication that they’re only committing to each other for a single season. We understand that Mercedes and Russell’s contract DOES actually run on into 2027, despite how it’s been presented. But this is some brutal pragmatism that suits both parties. 00:00 Russell's new deal uncertainty 01:37 Keeping options open 04:25 Driver market shake-up 06:34 Russell's breakthrough season Subscribe: http://the-race.com/youtube_subscribe Website: http://the-race.com/ Twitter: @wearetherace Instagram: @wearetherace Facebook: http://facebook.com/wearetherace Podcasts: http://the-race.com/podcasts Thanks for watching - please like, share and comment, please also hit subscribe to show your support so we'll keep doing what we're doing. https://www.the-race.com http://www.twitter.com/wearetherace