Mercedes to make Max Verstappen, George Russell decision by F1 summer break

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff said he hopes to have his 2026 driver decision sorted by the end of Formula 1’s summer break, as uncertainty over George Russell‘s place with the team lingers.

The two-time grand prix winner’s contract has not yet been extended beyond this year.

Last week, Wolff confirmed what had long been known: He has an interest in signing four-time world champion Max Verstappen, who is under contract with Red Bull through 2028.

It is widely understood within the paddock Verstappen could trigger an exit clause in his contract if he is lower than fourth in the championship at the conclusion of the Hungarian Grand Prix, the final race before the break.

Wolff has insisted that his monitoring of the Verstappen situation has no bearing on his ongoing discussions with Russell. Speaking after Sunday’s Austrian Grand Prix, Wolff said he wants the situation around Russell resolved during the four-week break.

“You need to be respectable towards the stakeholders in all of that process,” he said. “The organization, the drivers, everybody. You need to understand the way forward.

“And I don’t want to be sadistic in letting a driver wait or not taking any decisions when it should be taken. So I feel we’re in a good space. We’re [in] June.

“Obviously there’s lots of discussions around. I’ve been open with it and transparent. And at a certain stage in the next couple of months — until the summer break, we need to know. Until the summer break, everything is going to be done.”

Asked whether than meant the beginning or end of the break, Wolff said: “Maybe in the middle.”

Red Bull boss Christian Horner has called the ongoing Mercedes-Verstappen speculation “a lot of noise.” Speaking last weekend in Austria, he said: “I think Max gets quite annoyed by it.”

Verstappen has never entertained questions about the possibility of a move to Mercedes. After winning the Canadian Grand Prix earlier this month, Russell said he has not had talks with any other team, as his main focus is on racing for Mercedes.

Russell’s teammate, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, joined this year, although the length of his deal has never been made public.

Source: espn.com