Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff stated that the team intends to decide its driver pairing for the 2026 Formula 1 season during the August summer break, as rumors persist about a potential move for Max Verstappen.
Speculation around Mercedes` future lineup intensified at the Austrian Grand Prix following George Russell`s comment, where he mentioned the team had held discussions with Max Verstappen, Red Bull`s reigning four-time world champion.
Neither Russell nor potential rookie teammate Kimi Antonelli have yet been confirmed for seats at Mercedes in 2026.
Wolff later acknowledged having `private conversations` to understand `what a four-time world champion plans for the future,` potentially `long into the future.` Despite this, he expressed satisfaction with his current drivers and indicated that Russell was more likely to be with Mercedes in 2026 than Verstappen.
Red Bull dismissed Mercedes` comments about Verstappen as `just noise,` emphasizing that Verstappen has a contract with them until 2028. However, it`s understood his contract includes performance clauses that could allow for an earlier departure under specific conditions.
Following Sunday`s race, Wolff stated that Mercedes was comfortable with their current position but confirmed a decision on the 2026 lineup would be made relatively soon. He noted the decision is expected before the F1 season`s nearly month-long summer break, which follows races in Britain, Belgium, and Hungary over the next five weeks.
Explaining the timeline, Wolff emphasized the need to be `respectful towards the stakeholders,` including `the organisation, the drivers, everybody.`
`You need to understand the way forward,` he added. `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,` Wolff commented. `We`re in June, there are lots of discussions around.`
`I`ve been open and transparent about it,` he continued. `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 come at the beginning or end of the summer break (August 3 to August 29), Wolff humorously replied, `Maybe in the middle!`
Mercedes` Perspective: Understanding the Market
Regarding the 2026 lineup, coinciding with a significant rules overhaul, Wolff had stated:
`I think when you look at the situation we have with Kimi and George,` he said, `we have a perfect line-up that we very much enjoy and that we believe is the future.`
`But, at the same time,` he added, `there is a four-time world champion that needs to decide what he is going to do in the future, and as a team principal, you need to see where that is going.`
`But I think I give it a very little probability that it is going to happen [Verstappen joining],`” Wolff concluded.
Clarifying whether the `little probability` referred specifically to 2026 or the long term, Wolff replied:
`You don`t know what is going to be in three or five years,` he explained, `that is why you need to look at what is it that should be considered on the long term.`
Asked what conditions needed to favor Mercedes for a final decision on the timeline:
`Nothing needs in a way to come favorable for us,` Wolff responded, `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,` he concluded, `you`ve got to understand what other people do.`
Red Bull`s Response: `Just Noise`
Christian Horner, Red Bull team principal, later commented on Mercedes` remarks after qualifying:
`It is a lot of noise,` Horner said. `I think Max gets quite annoyed by it. We are very clear with the contract that we have with Max until 2028.`
`So, anything that is being said is entirely speculative,` he added, `but we tend not to pay too much attention to it.`
When asked if this was potentially an attempt to destabilize Red Bull at their home Grand Prix:
`I can imagine that George is frustrated he has not been given a contract yet,` Horner commented, `but that is between him and his team.`
`The situation with Max, we know clearly where we are at,` he stated, `and obviously as does Max.`
`Everything is subject to noise,` Horner concluded, `and, obviously, within any contract it remains confidential between the parties.`
Pundit Analysis: Looking Ahead to 2026
F1 analyst Karun Chandhok offered his perspective on the situation:
`We don`t know what the thresholds are for him to be able to extricate himself from the Red Bull contract,` Chandhok noted, `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 team on the grid would want to have Max in the car,` he argued. `He`s the standout driver of recent times.`
`And from Max`s side,` Chandhok added, `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,` he predicted, `the market could go completely mad.`
