Rumours have abounded that reigning champion Max Verstappen is in discussions with Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff regarding a possible move to the team in 2026.
But today, Wolff has scuppered any ideas about pushing George Russell or Kimi Antonelli out of the picture; he’s claimed they’re Mercedes’ “absolute priority.”
Toto Wolff declares Antonelli, Russell as “absolute priority” in Formula 1
Formula 1 silly season has gotten off to an early start this year courtesy of an unresolved Mercedes driver line-up for 2026.
The contracts of both of the team’s current drivers, George Russell and Kimi Antonelli, will expire at the conclusion of F1 2025, and while those drivers have expressed their confidence in being re-signed to Mercedes, there have been no guarantees.
Particularly because reigning F1 champion Max Verstappen’s future with Red Bull Racing has seemed tenuous. The team’s performance has slipped, while its major players — Christian Horner, Adrian Newey, Jonathan Wheatley, and more — have all parted ways.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has expressed an interest in potentially signing Max Verstappen, and during this brief break between the British and Belgian Grands Prix, Ralf Schumacher pointed fans in the direction of jet and yacht tracking data that implied the crafts of both Verstappen and Wolff were spotted in Sardinia.
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But speaking to Austrian broadcaster ORF ahead of Spa, Wolff seems to have scuppered the idea that Verstappen could appear on the team’s line-up in 2026.
“Discussions have been taking place over the last weeks and months, so they are all up to date,” Wolff said.
“The direction of travel is definitely that we want to continue with George and Kimi. That is the absolute priority.
“But you can’t look past someone like Max and the plans he has for the future. We did that, but I don’t think there will be any big surprises.”
While we won’t be able to definitively know Mercedes’ driver line-up until the ink has dried on next season’s contracts, it certainly sounds like Verstappen has been counted out of the running.
As far as the flight tracking data and fabricated images depicting Wolff boarding Verstappen’s jet go, Wolff sounded quite tickled — noting that this has brought a new complexion to the realm of F1 silly season rumours.
“What’s new is that people are doing photo collages with airplanes. We’ve never had that before,” Wolff said.
“But if you spend your holidays close to each other, it doesn’t mean that you’re going to work together in Formula 1.
“We have always gotten along well and by chance we like to spend our holidays at the same places.”
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