Mercedes boss Wolff prefers Verstappen instead of Russell

Mercedes’ confirmation of its 2026 driver lineup is being delayed by George Russell’s (pictured) ongoing contract negotiations and Mercedes boss Toto Wolff’s love affair with Max Verstappen.

Although it is almost certain that Russell will continue alongside teenage protege Andrea Kimi Antonelli for 2026 – after Toto Wolff failed to lure Max Verstappen – the announcement has not yet come.

Editor’s Note: Mercedes are expected to offer a one-year deal to Russell to make room if Max Verstappen becomes available in 2027, or alternatively, any multi-year agreement will contain a break clause that allows Wolff to move Russell on to make way for Verstappen. It must suck to be George Russell knowing his boss drools over another driver and not him.

Despite Antonelli’s inconsistent rookie season, the holdup is believed to center on Russell’s deal.

Former Mercedes champion Nico Rosberg, speaking to Sky, believes the dispute is over salary, contract length and sponsor obligations.

“It’s terrible to negotiate with Toto,” the 2016 world champion recalled. “He just disappears when you try to negotiate better clauses. I suffered a lot from it.

“George is probably unhappy with some of the terms,” Rosberg speculated. “He’s a Mercedes junior, after all, but earns a lot less than, say, Lando Norris. But George considers himself equal to Lando. I also think that – given the right car – he can win championships. That’s why he probably finds it unfair that his salary doesn’t reflect that.”

Russell himself has indicated that media and sponsor commitments are a key sticking point.

“The team knows that for a certain amount of time spent with a sponsor, they receive a certain amount of money, but no one can predict whether an event will make me a thousandth or a tenth slower,” the 27-year-old Briton explained.

“I arrive on Thursday morning with a sponsor event, another on Friday evening, another on Saturday evening. There are interviews all weekend long, partner activities on Sunday. Talking doesn’t make me faster, it takes energy.

“I don’t rest, I don’t train, I’m not in the simulator – all the time I could spend being faster.”

Rosberg agrees, saying Mercedes demands more from its drivers in this regard than many other teams.

“These teams have so many sponsors, who pay so much money,” said the German. “Their only bargaining chip is the size of the logos on the car, which is limited, so they take up the drivers’ time,” he said.

“They want their clients to be able to meet George Russell. That can go up to 60 days out of 365. It’s huge, especially since it’s sometimes half-days, so more like 80 days.

“That was one of the reasons Lewis (Hamilton) left for Ferrari, because Ferrari doesn’t use their drivers for media days. It’s such an established brand that they don’t need to offer their sponsors that driver time. I heard that for Vettel, it was 10 days, and that was it.

“It’s something, especially at the end of a career, that is given a lot of consideration.” (in part from GMM)