Russell's Failed Bid to Add a Mercedes F1 Car to His Contract

George Russell recently revealed that he attempted to secure a Mercedes F1 car for his personal collection during his latest contract negotiations. Despite securing a multi-year extension to partner with Andrea Kimi Antonelli in 2026, the British driver’s request for a chassis was ultimately denied due to the sport's financial regulations.

Why it matters:

Russell's desire highlights a growing tension between driver perks and the strict Cost Cap era. While teams used to build 15-20 chassis a year, the current limit of three or four monocoques makes gifting cars to drivers financially and logistically difficult, even for top-tier talent at a manufacturer team.

The details:

• The Request: Russell, who already owns a road-legal Mercedes-AMG One, expressed his wish to collect his race cars but was unsuccessful in the recent talks.
• Cost Cap Constraints: The financial regulations restrict teams to producing only three or four monocoques annually, a sharp drop from the unlimited testing era two decades ago.
• Parts Availability: Russell noted that while teams have an abundance of other components—such as 60 engines, multiple rear wings, and floor sets—the chassis remains the bottleneck.
• Regulatory Proposal: He suggested that the FIA and teams should explore ways to produce monocoques outside of the budget cap to allow drivers to keep their racing machines without compromising competitive development.

Looking ahead:

With the 2026 regulations reset on the horizon, Russell remains focused on on-track performance after finishing fourth in the 2025 standings. While he may have missed out on a garage piece, his priority is undoubtedly leveraging Mercedes' new power unit and chassis to challenge for the championship title against the likes of Lando Norris and Max Verstappen.