Mercedes chief Toto Wolff has confirmed his interest in signing Max Verstappen from Red Bull for 2026 and says he is open to pairing the Dutchman with George Russell.
Having publicly courted Verstappen last year after Lewis Hamilton’s switch to Ferrari for 2025 was confirmed, Wolff had suggested Mercedes’ interest in the four-time reigning world champion had at least temporarily been put on hold.
However, in an exclusive interview with Sky Sports F1 on Thursday ahead of this weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix, Russell said that his contract, which expires at the end of this season, has not been extended because Mercedes are still trying to sign Verstappen.
Asked on Friday about Russell’s comments and whether signing Verstappen is under serious consideration to replace either the Briton or team-mate Kimi Antonelli next year, Wolff said: “I like what George says and I’m always supportive of the driver. There is no such thing as saying things I wouldn’t want him to say.
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Russell says there is not any major update on a contract renewal with Mercedes but feels he is doing all he can to earn a new deal with his recent performances
“We are very transparent in the team for what we do, what we plan, and we’ve been like that since I was put in charge. That’s not the issue.
“At the moment, clearly you need to explore what’s happening in the future, but it doesn’t change anything of what I said before about George, about Kimi, about the line-up that I’m extremely happy having.”
Verstappen is contracted to Red Bull until 2028 but is understood to have clauses in his contract that could result in an earlier departure.
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Wolff had claimed in May he will not drag out contract talks with Russell
Pushed on whether he would set a deadline for Verstappen to decide on joining Mercedes, Wolff confirmed “conversations behind closed doors” were ongoing.
Wolff said: “You make it sound like we have been asking, ‘when do you want to join and what are the terms?’ That’s not how it is and how it works.
“I want to just have the conversations behind closed doors, not town halls.
“We have two drivers that have been in our programme a long time, drivers that I’m perfectly happy to have, drivers that will do great in the future of the team. So, it’s a bit different a situation.”
Wolff open to Verstappen-Russell pairing
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Verstappen controversially collided with Russell towards the end of the Spanish Grand Prix – earning himself a 10-second penalty
Verstappen and Russell have clashed both on and off track over the past 12 months, with the pair engaging in an extraordinary war of words at last year’s season finale in Abu Dhabi.
As recently as the Spanish Grand Prix at the start of this month, Verstappen was penalised for causing a collision with Russell in Barcelona, before the pair engaged in more verbal sparring.
Despite that, Wolff refused to rule out the possibility of pairing the rivals together at Mercedes, claiming it could not be more difficult than managing Hamilton and Nico Rosberg’s intense pairing from 2013-2016.
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Russell hit back at ‘bully’ Verstappen after their Qatar penalty fallout, saying someone needs to stand up to the Red Bull driver
Wolff said: “I can imagine every line-up. I had Rosberg and Hamilton fighting for a world championship, so everything else afterwards is easy.
“There are pros and cons of having two drivers fighting each other hard.
“We’ve seen examples where that functions and other examples where it didn’t.”
‘Russell more likely to be in Mercedes than Verstappen’
Speaking to Sky Sports F1 shortly after the press conference in which he had made his initial comments, Wolff played down the prospect of Verstappen joining Mercedes in 2026.
He said that Russell was more likely to drive for Mercedes in 2026, before adding: “What we try to do in the team is be transparent as good as we are. You can choose to hold things under wraps or do what I’ve done over the last 12 years and put it out there and say ‘this is the situation’.
“These drivers are clever people. They talk with each other and I’m always open about these things and say it how it is.
“There’s no such thing as saying ‘we are going to sign Max’. This is so far away that it’s not realistic. With George, we talk about everything.”
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George Russell snatches the position from Max Verstappen to take pole in Montreal
Wolff disputed Russell’s claim that his contract talks are being ‘delayed’, insisting that team and driver are still working within a timeframe that was agreed upon by all parties.
He added: “There is no delay in George’s contract negotiations because it’s pretty clear, since a long time, what our timings were and are.
“We have known each other for such a long time, so there is no such thing as a delay.
“As team principal of the best car brand in the world, it’s clear you explore what a four-time world champion will do in the future, and that could be long into the future. That has no effect on us putting a signature on George’s contract.”
Sky Sports F1’s Austrian GP schedule
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Look back at some of the most dramatic moments throughout the years at the Austrian Grand Prix
Saturday June 28
9am: F3 Sprint
11.15pm: Austrian GP Practice Three (session starts at 11.30am)
1.10pm: F2 Sprint
2.15pm: Austrian GP Qualifying build-up*
3pm: AUSTRIAN GP QUALIFYING*
5pm: Ted’s Qualifying Notebook
Sunday June 29
7.25am: F3 Feature Race
8.55am: F2 Feature Race
10.40am: Porsche Supercup
12.30pm: Grand Prix Sunday: Austrian GP build-up*
2pm: THE AUSTRIAN GRAND PRIX*
4pm: Chequered Flag: Austrian GP reaction*
5pm: Ted’s Notebook
*also on Sky Sports Main Event
Next up for the 2025 Formula 1 season is a return to Europe for the Austrian Grand Prix, which is live on Sky Sports F1 this weekend. Stream Sky Sports with NOW – no contract, cancel anytime.
