Toto Wolff has confirmed Mercedes is exploring the potential for signing Max Verstappen sooner or later, however insists it’s not impacting ongoing contract talks with George Russell for 2026.
Hypothesis over Verstappen leaving Crimson Bull for Mercedes intensified on Thursday after Russell stated his talks had been being delayed as a result of his staff can also be pursuing the four-time world champion.
Russell is out of contract with Mercedes on the finish of this yr, which additionally has 18-year-old Andrea Kimi Antonelli signed on a long-term deal.
Verstappen is beneath contract with Crimson Bull till 2028, though the staff’s motorsport advisor Helmut Marko has spoken brazenly about performance-based clauses that would see the 27-year-old go away earlier than that date.
“To begin with, there isn’t any delay in George’s contract state of affairs as a result of it is fairly clear since a very long time what our timings had been,” Wolff advised Sky Sports activities. “We have identified one another for such a very long time so there isn’t any such factor as a delay.
“But additionally as a staff principal accountable for the most effective automotive model on the earth it’s clear you are exploring what a four-time world champion goes to do sooner or later, and that could possibly be a very long time sooner or later. However that has no impact on us placing a signature on George’s contract.”
Wolff added that Russell was conscious of Mercedes’ place on Verstappen.
“What we are attempting to do within the staff is be clear, as we’re,” the staff boss added. “You possibly can select to carry issues beneath wraps, or do what we have performed within the final 20 years I have been right here [which is] placing it on the market and saying that is the state of affairs.
“These drivers are intelligent folks and so they speak to one another. I am at all times open about these items, and I am saying it how it’s and there is not any such factor as saying, ‘we’re going to signal Max,’ as a result of it is so far-off that it isn’t sensible at that stage. So with George, we discuss all the pieces.”
Previous to these feedback, Wolff spent nearly all of Friday’s press convention on the Austrian Grand Prix deflecting questions on his pursuit of Verstappen.
When Wolff was requested if there was a deadline for signing Verstappen, he stated his “conversations” weren’t at that stage.
“You make it sound like we’ve got been asking when do you wish to be a part of and what are the phrases. That is not how it’s and never the way it works. And I come again to my earlier reply.
“I wish to simply have the conversations behind closed doorways. Not city halls. And we’ve got two drivers which have been in our programme since a very long time.
“Drivers that I am completely completely happy to have. Drivers that may do nice in the way forward for the staff. So it’s kind of totally different state of affairs.”
Talking in a press convention on Thursday, Verstappen refused to provide a direct reply on the place he could be driving in 2026, including gas to hypothesis about his future.
“I do not assume we have to discuss that,” Verstappen stated. “I do not know, would you like me to repeat what I stated final yr? I do not know. It is the identical reply.
“I do not even keep in mind what I stated final yr, actually. However once more, it is not likely on my thoughts. Simply driving properly, making an attempt to push the efficiency, after which we give attention to subsequent yr.”
When Wolff was requested what Russell wanted to do to be given a contract extension, he added: “Nothing. He has been a part of our programme since 10 years or so. He is at all times carried out to the expectations that we’ve got set. And he is persevering with to take action.
“We’ve not given him a automotive to win world championship within the final three years. In order that’s utterly on us. And the instances the automotive has been good, he has been successful races.
“And you’ll see right this moment [in free practice], he is at all times there. You understand that when he is getting within the automotive, he will extract what’s within the automotive. So having stated that, for no matter purpose, in early summer time, these type of contract discussions begin to find yourself being accelerated within the media or accelerated due to a lack of know-how.
“Effectively, what I’ve been doing the final 30 years in a traditional enterprise, contract discussions will not be being held on the town halls. So all the pieces is regular. Every part goes to plan.”
Requested if Russell and Verstappen could possibly be a attainable driver line-up for the longer term, Wolff added: “Effectively, I can think about each line-up. I’ve had [Nico] Rosberg and [Lewis] Hamilton preventing for a world championship, so all the pieces else afterwards is simple.
“So, yeah, there’s professionals and cons of getting two drivers preventing one another arduous. And we have seen examples the place that functioned and different examples the place it did not.”
