George Russell is set for an enormous Mercedes pay rise that could see him among the best paid drivers in the sport, it has been claimed.
As per Mail Sport, Russell is closing in on a £30m-a-year, multi-season deal with Mercedes.
Negotiations have reportedly accelerated in the past few weeks, with just the finer details, such as the number of sponsor appearances the 27-year-old will undertake, still to be ironed out.
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Mercedes are reportedly content with Russell as their No.1, with the Briton having this year produced his most consistent form.
Indeed, the campaign has seen him claim a win in Canada, while he has outscored teenage team-mate Kimi Antonelli 157 points to 63.
While he may have hoped for a salary closer to that of Max Verstappen on Lewis Hamilton, their combined record of 11 world champions dwarfs Russell’s four race victories.
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Meanwhile, Russell does not have the mass global appeal of his Mercedes predecessor Hamilton.
His £30m-a-year salary puts him on a similar level with other leading non-championship winning contemporaries, including Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and McLaren’s Lando Norris.
Indeed, should Russell agree to the new deal, he would be the sport’s third highest paid driver, when considering the below figures, provided by racingnews365.com.
Verstappen’s Red Bull deal is thought to be the F1’s most expensive contract, while Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton’s is thought to be F1’s second-best pair driver.
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The highest paid drivers in F1
1 Max Verstappen £50m $65m
2 Lewis Hamilton £46.3m $60m
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3 George Russell £30m $40m
4 Charles Leclerc £26.3m $34m
5 Fernando Alonso £15.5m $20m
– Lando Norris £15.5m $20m
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7 Carlos Sainz £7.7m $10m
– Pierre Gasly £7.7m $10m
9 Alex Albon £6.2m $8m
10 Nico Hülkenberg £5.4m $7m
Topics: George Russell, Mercedes, Formula 1, Motorsport, Lewis Hamilton
Chris Byfield