Mercedes will make a decision in summer about Verstappen and Russell
After Toto Wolff accepted that he is interested in having Verstappen in Mercedes, Russell’s immediate future is expected to be defined soon
The head of Mercedes, Toto Wolffhe declared that he hopes to have determined the alignment of pilots by 2026 before the summer break of the Formula 1since the uncertainty about the future of George Russell In the team.
The contract of the four -time British winner of great premiios has not yet been renewed beyond this year.
Last week, Wolff confirmed what was known for a long time: he is interested in signing four times world champion Max Verstappenwhich has a contract with Red Bull Until 2028.
In the Paddock it is assumed that Verstappen could activate a termination clause of its contract if it is below the fourth place in the championship at the end of the Hungary Grand Prixthe last race before the break.
Wolff has insisted that his monitoring of Verstappen’s situation does not influence the conversations he has with Russell. Behind him Austrian Grand Prix On Sunday, Wolff said he wants Russell’s situation to resolve during the four weeks of rest.
“You have to be respectful of all the parties involved in this process,” he said. “The organization, the pilots, everyone. You have to understand the way to follow.
“And I don’t want to be sadistic making a pilot wait or not making any decision when you have to make it. So I think we are in a good time. We are in June.
“Obviously, there are many discussions about it. I have been open and transparent about it. And at a given time of the coming months, before the summer break, we have to know. Even summer holidays, everything will be determined.”
When asked if that meant the beginning or end of the holidays, Wolff replied: “Maybe half.”
The head of Red Bull, Christian Hornerhe has described the speculations about Mercedes and Verstappen as “a lot of noise.” Last weekend, in Austria, he said: “I think Max bothers Max.”
Verstappen has never answered questions about the possibility of signing for Mercedes. After winning the Canada Grand Prix Earlier this month, Russell said he had not had conversations with any other team, since his main objective is to run for Mercedes.
Russell’s teammate, Andrea Kimi Antonellihe joined this year, although the duration of his contract has never been made public.
