Mercedes ‘continuing’ with Russell and Antonelli

Toto Wolff, the team’s principal, has stated that Mercedes will continue to race in Formula 1 alongside Kimi Antonelli and George Russell in 2026.

After the Dutch Grand Prix, Wolff effectively confirmed the lineup, but Russell’s contract is still unfinished.

Wolff continued, “I always say that because we’re doing this, there won’t be any big news.” Of course, we’re going to keep going with both of them.

There are some things we want to do differently with George, including how many hours we’re dedicating to marketing and travel. He has some experience, so it’s always important to discuss it with us.

Verstappen’s interest was a factor in Mercedes’ decision to put off talks with Briton Russell until they were certain that the four-time world champion was unavailable.

Wolff claimed that the team was considering what they asked of their off-track drivers, but it’s not yet clear how long Russell’s contract will be.

We want the drivers to perform the best, and he claimed that this is how we’re recalibrating because we’ve put a lot of pressure on them through marketing and media activities.

He continued, “I don’t think they’re going to release their 2026 driver line-up soon.”

Russell had already stated before the start of the Dutch weekend that he had no doubts staying at Mercedes.

We wanted to relax and recharge over the summer, but we were actually heading in the right direction. However, I believe that we’re just making sure it’s done right because there is no time pressure on the team and no pressure on our side.

After colliding with Charles Leclerc, rookie Antonelli was penalized for his part in the team’s failure to win the race at Zandvoort. After receiving an additional penalty for speeding in the pit lane, he placed 16th.

Wolff, however, expressed doubts about the Italian’s potential, age 19;

It also said that we would give him a year of learning, and there would be times when we would tear our hair out and other times when he excelled. And, in my opinion, “Wolff said, this weekend pretty much sums it up.