In theory, this year’s Formula 1 silly season should be a relatively quiet one. At the end of this campaign, only Mercedes and Racing Bulls have their drivers’ contracts expiring. And, as always, the second Red Bull and Alpine seats remain question marks – in the short term as far as Franco Colapinto is concerned.
All other driver contracts extend beyond this year. Ferrari’s duo is locked in through the upcoming regulation changes, Max Verstappen has a contract that formally runs until the end of 2028, and McLaren has secured its current line-up with long-term deals.
Verstappen’s future still a major talking point
Still, in the world of Formula 1 things are rarely as straightforward as they appear on paper. Contracts aren’t definitive, and behind the scenes, everyone talks to everyone – especially with a regulation change adding uncertainty.
As was the case last year, Verstappen’s future remains one of the hotly debated topics in the paddock. Toto Wolff admitted last year that conversations with Verstappen had taken place, but he told Dutch media in Zandvoort that consensus had been reached over the summer break that a switch for 2025 was not feasible.
One year on, Verstappen has repeatedly stated it is his ‘intention’ to stay at Red Bull. His contract runs through 2028 but includes clauses. As Helmut Marko has confirmed, one of those clauses is tied to Verstappen’s standing in the drivers’ championship at specific moments in the season, the summer being one of them.
“Drivers have performance clauses in their contracts, and there are points in the year that tend to be around the summertime [when] things materialise,” Christian Horner replied in Montreal.
More importantly, contracts and clauses are not the be-all and end-all. Horner has previously admitted that he wouldn’t keep someone “based on just a piece of paper” if they’d rather be elsewhere. He reiterated this in Canada: “For us, it’s about, how can we improve? How can we be better rather than referring to a piece of paper? I always think in life, if you’ve got to refer to a contract, you’ve got a problem. It’s about a relationship with a driver and about their trust in each other.”
Russell’s interesting media comments in Montreal
Foto door: James Sutton / Motorsport Images via Getty Images
Russell’s comments during the Canadian Grand Prix weekend are also notable. Asked for an update on his Mercedes contract negotiations, he replied: “No real conversations, to be honest, because we’ve got bigger fish to fry at the moment, which is making our car go faster. I know I’m going to be in Formula 1 next year. My intention and goal are to stay with Mercedes, and I think that’s very much the intention of Toto as well.”
More interestingly, he added: “It’s understandable, you know, the likes of Max have always been on the radar because why wouldn’t he be on the radar? He’s one of the GOATs and I get that.”
The fact that Russell mentioned Verstappen without being asked about the reigning world champion is noteworthy. “But then it’s down to you to prove your worth. And I feel I’ve done that time and time again over the course of seven years in F1 and my whole career. So I’ve got no concerns.”
He backed up those words with a Canadian GP win just a few days later. “I feel good right now. There’s a lot of noise about my future and about what happened in Spain. A year ago, I might have reacted differently, but now I don’t care. I’m focused on my job, I believe in myself, and I feel ready to fight for the championship.”
This all suggests that these weeks are primarily about keeping options open. That’s true for Verstappen, but equally checks out for Mercedes. Wolff said last year in Zandvoort he felt that Verstappen’s and Mercedes’ “paths will cross one day”. But at the same time, if Mercedes wants to hold on to Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Russell would be a cheaper option as its team leader, a role that he is already growing into this season.
The main question Mercedes has to answer is: what does the team need to win in 2026, especially if the engine is as good as it’s believed to be? F1’s silly season is always a game of chess, and this year is no different, with most players keeping their options open for now. Mercedes seems to be doing that (Wolff handled the Barcelona clash very cleverly), Verstappen is doing that, and by extension, so is Russell.
Aston Martin logically considering Russell
With that in mind, Motorsport.com revealing that Aston Martin is considering Russell for the new cycle of regulations fits perfectly into this. It’s a logical consequence of the situation.
With Verstappen on the radar, Russell needs to keep his options open as well, just in case. The Brit has made clear that he intends to stay with Mercedes and expects to, but his comment “I know I’ll be in F1 next year” implies that he has back-up plans if things take an unexpected turn. That’s no surprise, considering Russell has been performing very consistently in 2025. The chance of him being left out of the picture is virtually zero, but creating options for yourself is always a wise thing to do in the F1 paddock.
Foto door: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images via Getty Images
Still, it’s interesting that Aston Martin is brought into the conversation. Fernando Alonso has a contract, and Lawrence Stroll’s investments are largely aimed at achieving F1 success with his son Lance, who therefore has a seat for as long as he wants it. During the Canadian Grand Prix, wild rumours circulated about Alonso having been spotted multiple times in the hospitality of Alpine – the Enstone-based team he’s raced for at three different stages of his career. It’s worth noting that Briatore is not only Alpine’s new advisor but also still Alonso’s manager.
Aston Martin team boss Andy Cowell wasn’t fazed by the media reports over the weekend: “I’m happy for Fernando to wander into any garage, he knows lots of people up and down the pitlane.
“I’m also happy with the fact that he’s contracted to us next year and hopefully will stay with us long-term as an ambassador. It’s great working with Fernando.” According to Aston Martin, the visits to Alpine were just to have lunch with some familiar faces. But even if they were a bit more serious than that, it still fits the broader picture: everyone talking to everyone at this stage of the year.
It’s hard to imagine Alonso passing up the chance to drive an Adrian Newey-designed car and benefit from Aston Martin’s state-of-the-art facilities and its factory deal with Honda. Fair enough, the second Alpine seat likely is the only vacant one with the highly anticipated Mercedes engine for 2026, but with Aston Martin trying to everything together to succeed under the new regulations, it’s hard to see Alonso anywhere else.
Therefore, much of the recent reporting seems a tad premature. It’s mostly a matter of keeping various options on the table, which is precisely what the early part of silly season is about. Just like last year, much hinges on what Verstappen truly wants – despite his “intention” to stay with Red Bull. Whether this silly season catches fire or remains relatively quiet largely depends on the Dutchman. He holds the key to whether a domino effect begins.
As a final note, McLaren was clever to renegotiate Oscar Piastri’s contract quite early, especially after Horner responded with “Oscar” when asked which McLaren driver he’d like to sign the most. Whether or not the F1 driver market explodes later on, McLaren’s message is already clear: please don’t bother us…
In this article
Ronald Vording
Formula 1
Fernando Alonso
Max Verstappen
George Russell
Mercedes
Aston Martin Racing
Alpine
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