Mercedes' Wolff: New contract for Russell 'a formality'
ZANDVOORT, Netherlands (AP) — Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff says contract talks to keep George Russell for next year are “a formality,” even as the wait to confirm him for 2026 has prompted speculation about his Formula 1 future.
Mercedes has yet to announce its lineup for 2026, long after other teams, but it has been widely expected to stay with Russell and his rookie teammate Kimi Antonelli.
Russell himself previously linked the delay to Mercedes pursuing a move to sign Max Verstappen, who has since confirmed he's staying with Red Bull.
“We clearly know what we expect from each other, what we want. It’s a formality,” Wolff said at the Dutch Grand Prix on Friday.
“But at the same time, it’s important to discuss even the slightest details" like "how can we extract the most performance out of George?" or how to structure his marketing obligations, Wolff added.
He and Russell said this week that they halted talks during F1's midseason break and have resumed them since.
“Toto and the team were very willing to work through the summer break to come to a resolution but I wanted just to take that time because those two weeks are pretty precious for all of us," Russell said on Thursday.
“There’s no major rush and I don’t want to really put a timeline on it. When it will happen, it will happen. If that’s next week, a month, two months, three months, it will be what it will be.”
Wolff also had a message of support for Antonelli after a rocky run of form for the Italian 19-year-old, who has scored points twice in the last eight races. He also ended up in the gravel trap in Friday's first practice session at Zandvoort.
“We just continue to believe in him. He needs time,” Wolff said. “We are fully on the mission, and single race weekends or a session like we had before (on Friday) is not going to change our opinion. Short term, we’re going to say, “That’s not good,” but Kimi is a long-term investment.”
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