George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli have started the 2025 season well but are fighting for their Mercedes futures, with both out of contract at the end of this year.
The Silver Arrows have placed themselves in a strong position to have the best driver line-up available entering the 2026 F1 regulations. Russell last signed a new contract with Mercedes in August 2023, while Antonelli only earned a one-year deal to debut in Formula 1 this term.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff handpicked Antonelli to partner Russell soon after news broke that Lewis Hamilton was to join Ferrari in 2025. The decision has so far seemed to pay off with Antonelli fifth in the drivers’ standings and Russell in third after the first two rounds.
Russell has registered his best start to any Formula 1 season so far this term with third-place finishes in the Australian and Chinese Grands Prix. Antonelli also came fourth on his debut in Melbourne before securing seventh place in Shanghai despite sustaining early floor damage.
Toto Wolff expects Max Verstappen’s camp will phone Mercedes about a 2026 F1 seat
Yet Russell and Antonelli are racing for their futures in Brackley as GPblog reports that Wolff expects a chance to sign Max Verstappen will soon arrive for Mercedes. The saga at Red Bull with Yuki Tsunoda replacing Liam Lawson at the Japanese GP has amplified the chance, too.
Mercedes believe Lawson’s demotion proved how unsettled the situation at Red Bull is, so it is increasingly possible that Max’s dad Jos Verstappen or his manager Raymond Vermeulen will soon approach Wolff and discuss the likelihood of a seat being available for next season.
READ MORE: Red Bull driver Max Verstappen’s life outside F1 from net worth to girlfriend
Publicly at least, Wolff has tried to rule out any chance that Verstappen leaves Red Bull next year for Mercedes. But after the Silver Arrows’ team principal missed out on signing the 27-year-old as an academy ace, Wolff will not say no to signing Verstappen for Mercedes again.
Toto Wolff is confident he can now tempt Max Verstappen to leave Red Bull
Wolff has long been a huge supporter of Verstappen with the Mercedes boss calling his race craft ‘spectacular’ in 2016 after fighting with Nico Rosberg during the British Grand Prix. The Dutchman overtook the German around the outside at Chapel and battled nobly to hold on.
READ MORE: All you need to know about Mercedes F1 CEO and team principal Toto Wolff
Hamilton deciding to leave Mercedes last year then opened a door for Wolff to try to tempt Verstappen to quit Red Bull. And while the chance did not materialise, the door still remains open in Brackley and Wolff is increasingly confident of signing Verstappen for 2026 or 2027.
Wolff confirmed Mercedes spoke to Verstappen about a 2025 F1 seat as the team looked to replace Hamilton. Yet the Dutchman chose against joining the Silver Arrows this season as it ‘felt right to him’ for Verstappen to stay at Red Bull, leading Mercedes to promote Antonelli.
Also, Wolff confirmed he has a ‘personal relationship’ with Jos Verstappen and that the saga around the 2021 Abu Dhabi GP where Max denied Hamilton the drivers’ title did not impact that bond. So, the foundations could be in place if Jos picks up the phone to discuss a move.
