Formula 1 News: Wolff reassures drivers amid contract uncertainty
(GMM) Mercedes boss Toto Wolff (pictured with his F1 drivers) has moved to calm speculation over his 2026 lineup, with both George Russell and Kimi Antonelli yet to secure deals.
“It’s all coming,” Wolff told Sky Deutschland after Baku, where Russell finished second behind Max Verstappen despite feeling ill all weekend.
“It has to be before the tests, otherwise we’ll have to put someone else in the car,” he said with tongue in cheek when asked what the deadline is.
The Austrian singled out Russell for praise after he drove to P2 despite being visibly unwell at Baku. But he also defended 19-year-old Antonelli, who finished P4.
“Kimi consolidated well. He’s not happy not to be on the podium, but it was important points for the team.”
For the first time, Wolff had publicly described Antonelli’s performance as “disappointing” at Monza, but said he welcomed his protege’s response.
“I tried to be honest. That’s why this rebound here is satisfactory,” Wolff said, “It’s part of the fact that he’s only 19 years old. You have to take him aside and tell him what you expect from him.”
Meanwhile, Wolff confirmed Mercedes’ 2025 car will not receive further upgrades. “We’re continuing to work on next year’s car,” he said.
“I wouldn’t say we’re in a bad situation. It’s simply because a racing team always has the ability to find new ways to extract more performance from the car, even without relying on updates.”
On the bigger picture, he admitted the season has been unusual. “Crazy, right? If George had started a little further up, we would have been fighting for the win,” Wolff said on Sunday.
“Then there was no performance from McLaren and Ferrari. It’s strange how things go up and down throughout the year.”
As for Max Verstappen’s renewed title hopes following back-to-back poles and wins following an earlier slump, Wolff said: “Longshot, but yes, why not?”
Meanwhile, Russell’s contract negotiations are believed to be delayed not only over money, but over off-track workload. The Briton wants to cut back on sponsor and media days, particularly if he signs only a one-year extension.
Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc explained to RTBF why such terms can be critical. “It’s a discussion in the contract, but negotiation is common sense,” he said.
“We don’t do it because we don’t want to do it, but because it gets to the point where it can affect performance because we’re so busy that, very often, we’re tired when we get back in the car.
“The most important thing is that the driver is in the best possible shape when he goes on track,” said the Ferrari driver.