Mercedes confirms possible pursuit of Verstappen

Toto Wolff has confirmed Mercedes is exploring the anticipation of signing Max Verstappen successful the future, but insists it is not impacting ongoing declaration talks with George Russell for 2026.

Speculation implicit Verstappen leaving Red Bull for Mercedes intensified connected Thursday aft Russell said his talks were being delayed due to the fact that his squad is besides pursuing the four-time satellite champion.

Russell is retired of declaration with Mercedes astatine the extremity of this year, which besides has 18-year-old Andrea Kimi Antonelli signed connected a semipermanent deal.

Verstappen is nether declaration with Red Bull until 2028, though the team's motorsport advisor Helmut Marko has spoken openly astir performance-based clauses that could spot the 27-year-old permission earlier that date.

"First of all, determination is nary hold successful George's declaration concern due to the fact that it's beauteous wide since a agelong clip what our timings were," Wolff told Sky Sports. "We've known each different for specified a agelong clip truthful determination is nary specified happening arsenic a delay.

"But besides arsenic a squad main liable for the champion car marque successful the satellite it is wide you're exploring what a four-time satellite champion is going to bash successful the future, and that could beryllium a agelong clip successful the future. But that has nary effect connected america putting a signature connected George's contract."

Wolff added that Russell was alert of Mercedes' presumption connected Verstappen.

"What we are trying to bash successful the squad is beryllium transparent, arsenic we are," the squad brag added. "You tin take to clasp things nether wraps, oregon bash what we've done successful the past 20 years I've been present [which is] putting it retired determination and saying this is the situation.

"These drivers are clever radical and they speech to each other. I'm ever unfastened astir these things, and I'm saying it however it is and there's nary specified happening arsenic saying, 'we are going to motion Max,' due to the fact that it's truthful acold distant that it's not realistic astatine that stage. So with George, we speech astir everything."

Prior to those comments, Wolff spent the bulk of Friday's property league astatine the Austrian Grand Prix deflecting questions astir his pursuit of Verstappen.

When Wolff was asked if determination was a deadline for signing Verstappen, helium said his "conversations" were not astatine that stage.

"You marque it dependable similar we person been asking erstwhile bash you privation to articulation and what are the terms. That's not however it is and not however it works. And I travel backmost to my erstwhile answer.

"I privation to conscionable person the conversations down closed doors. Not municipality halls. And we person 2 drivers that person been successful our programme since a agelong time.

"Drivers that I'm perfectly blessed to have. Drivers that volition bash large successful the aboriginal of the team. So it's a spot antithetic situation."

Speaking successful a property league connected Thursday, Verstappen refused to springiness a nonstop reply connected wherever helium would beryllium driving successful 2026, adding substance to speculation astir his future.

"I don't deliberation we request to speech astir that," Verstappen said. "I don't know, bash you privation maine to repetition what I said past year? I don't know. It's the aforesaid answer.

"I don't adjacent retrieve what I said past year, really. But again, it's not truly connected my mind. Just driving well, trying to propulsion the performance, and past we absorption connected adjacent year."

When Wolff was asked what Russell needed to bash to beryllium fixed a declaration extension, helium added: "Nothing. He has been portion of our programme since 10 years oregon so. He's ever performed to the expectations that we person set. And he's continuing to bash so.

"We haven't fixed him a car to triumph satellite title successful the past 3 years. So that's wholly connected us. And the times the car has been good, helium has been winning races.

"And you tin spot contiguous [in escaped practice], he's ever there. You cognize that erstwhile he's getting successful the car, he's going to extract what is successful the car. So having said that, for immoderate reason, successful aboriginal summer, those benignant of declaration discussions commencement to extremity up being accelerated successful the media oregon accelerated due to the fact that of a deficiency of information.

"Well, what I person been doing the past 30 years successful a mean business, declaration discussions are not being held successful municipality halls. So everything is normal. Everything goes to plan."

Asked if Russell and Verstappen could beryllium a imaginable operator line-up for the future, Wolff added: "Well, I tin ideate each line-up. I've had [Nico] Rosberg and [Lewis] Hamilton warring for a satellite championship, truthful everything other afterwards is easy.

"So, yeah, there's pros and cons of having 2 drivers warring each different hard. And we've seen examples wherever that functioned and different examples wherever it didn't."