Max Verstappen joining Mercedes ‘not on any radar’, says Toto Wolff
Image source, Getty ImagesMax Verstappen is aiming to become only the second man to win five consecutive drivers’ championships in 2025
F1 Correspondent in Melbourne
Australian Grand Prix
Venue: Albert Park, Melbourne Dates: 14 March-16 March Race start: 04:00 GMT on Sunday, 16 March with first practice at 01:30 on Friday
Coverage: Live radio commentary of practice and qualifying on BBC 5 Sports Extra, race live on BBC Radio 5 Live. Live text updates on the BBC Sport website and app
Mercedes Formula 1 boss Toto Wolff says a pitch to sign Max Verstappen for 2026 is “not on any radar”.
George Russell’s Mercedes contract runs out at the end of this season and Wolff had talks with Verstappen last year before opting for Italian 18-year-old rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli as a replacement for Lewis Hamilton, who has moved to Ferrari.
Wolff said in there run-up to this weekend’s season-opening Australian Grand Prix: “We need to concentrate on our driver line-up. I don’t flirt outside if I’m in a good relationship.
“So at the moment that (a move for Verstappen) is not on any radar. I don’t plan to shift my concentration away from these guys and make sure that George has some visibility very soon, or has a contract very soon.”
Wolff said he and Russell would wait before discussing a new deal but that that they would “find some time I guess before the summer, but we do that in a timely manner without disrupting the season”.
Russell won’t ‘bow down’ to Verstappen
World champion Verstappen is under contract to Red Bull until the end of 2028 but there are clauses in his contract that could see him leave under certain circumstances.
Briton Russell, who has been with Mercedes since before he was in F1 and won two races last year, said he was confident the team would stick with him.
“We have had such a long-term relationship and so much trust between one another and we are focused on getting Mercedes back on top and trying to win races and championships,” Russell said.
“Performance speaks, so from my side there is no pressure. I have no doubts about myself and everything falls into place when the timing is right. We have bigger fish to fry right now, which is getting us back on top.”
Formula 1 is changing its technical regulations for next season, introducing new rules for both cars and engines. That makes it difficult for any driver to predict which will be the most competitive team from 2026.
Red Bull potentially has greater uncertainty over it as they have set up their own engine facility to build a new power-unit for next year in partnership with Ford.
Mercedes has been the standard-setter in F1 engines since the current hybrid rules were introduced in 2014.
Rookies, McLaren and kerbs: Five things to look out for at the Australian Grand Prix
The new rules continue with hybrid engines, but with a change in technology and a significant increase in the proportion of total power provided by the hybrid part of the engine.
Both Wolff and Russell said they expected McLaren to start this season with an advantage after the performance the reigning constructors’ champions showed in pre-season testing in Bahrain last month.
Wolff said: “Testing is very difficult to interpret and we saw some pace that the car had but there was just a gap to the McLarens that everyone experienced.
“Is that going to translate to Melbourne? I don’t know, but you have to keep both feet on the ground. It’s between four teams, clearly McLaren as the quickest, [Lando] Norris is very strong and Verstappen is never to be written off and I hope these two (Russell and Antonelli) can fight for podiums and victories.”
