Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff stated that a decision regarding their driver lineup for the 2026 Formula 1 season will be made during the August summer break, following recent speculation linking Max Verstappen to the team.
Speculation surrounding Mercedes` driver pairing for the upcoming year intensified at the Austrian Grand Prix after George Russell mentioned in an interview that the team was in discussions with Red Bull`s four-time world champion, Max Verstappen.
It is not yet confirmed whether Russell and his rookie teammate Kimi Antonelli will continue with Mercedes into the 2026 season.
Wolff, the team boss, later confirmed that “behind closed doors conversations” were indeed happening to explore “what a four-time world champion is going to do in the future – and that can be long into the future.” However, while expressing satisfaction with his current drivers, Wolff also indicated that Russell remaining with Mercedes for 2026 was still more probable than Verstappen joining.
Meanwhile, Red Bull dismissed Mercedes` comments about their driver as “just noise.” Verstappen is under contract with Red Bull until 2028, although this contract reportedly includes performance clauses that could permit an earlier departure under specific conditions.
Following Sunday`s race, Wolff stated that Mercedes was comfortable with their current position but suggested a final decision on their 2026 lineup would be made relatively soon. There are three races remaining – in Britain, Belgium, and Hungary – over the next five weeks before the F1 season takes its nearly month-long summer break.
Regarding the decision timeline, Wolff remarked, “You need to be respectable towards the stakeholders in all of that process – the organisation, the drivers, everybody.”
He added, “You need to understand the way forward. I don`t want to be sadistic in letting a driver wait or not taking any decisions when it should be taken.”
“I feel we are in a good space, we`re in June, there are lots of discussions around,” he continued.
“I`ve been open with it, transparent. And at a certain stage, in the next couple of months, until the summer break, everything is going to be done.”
When asked if the decision would occur at the beginning or end of the summer break (August 3 – August 29), Wolff humorously replied, “Maybe in the middle!”
Mercedes` Stance: Understanding the Options
On Saturday at the Red Bull Ring, Wolff had commented on the team`s position regarding the lineup for the following season, which coincides with a major rule change for the sport:
“I think when you look at the situation we have with Kimi and George, we have a perfect line-up that we very much enjoy and that we believe is the future,” he said.
“But, at the same time, there is a four-time world champion that needs to decide what he is going to do in the future, and that is just, as a team principal, you need to see where that is going.”
“But I think I give it a very little probability that it`s going to happen.”
He was asked if this “little probability” referred indefinitely or specifically to 2026.
“You don`t know what`s going to be in three or five years, that`s why you need to look at what it is that should be considered on the long term,” he replied.
And what factors needed to align for their decision timeline?
“Nothing needs in a way to come favourable for us, because with George and Kimi is what we want to be and what we want to continue.”
“But in order to plan right for the long-term future you`ve got to understand what other people do.”
Red Bull`s Response: Dismissing the Noise
Christian Horner, the Red Bull team principal, was later asked for his reaction to Mercedes` comments after qualifying:
“It is a lot of noise,” Horner stated. “I think Max gets quite annoyed by it. We are very clear with the contract that we have with Max until 2028.”
“So, anything is entirely speculative that is being said, but we tend not to pay too much attention to it.”
Was this perhaps an attempt to destabilize Red Bull at their home race?
“I can imagine that George is frustrated he hasn`t been given a contract yet, but that`s between him and his team,” Horner responded.
“The situation with Max, we know clearly where we`re at and obviously as does Max.”
“Everything is subject to noise and, obviously, within any contract it remains confidential between the parties.”
The Pundit`s Perspective
Pundit Karun Chandhok offered his analysis of the situation:
“We don`t know what the thresholds are in terms of him being able to extricate himself from the Red Bull contract,” Chandhok said, “but if you were Max Verstappen, you would look next year at the performance of the top teams and then pick and choose where you want to go in the future.”
“Because I think any of the teams on the grid would want to have Max in the car. He`s the standout driver of recent times.”
“And from Max`s side, the new generation of rules and power units could set the tone for the next five or six years, like what happened with Lewis back in 2014.”
“For next year, there`s a bit of a dance going on where people are trying to gauge the situation. And then for 2027, the market could go completely mad.”
