What Toto Wolff already loves about Sergio Perez after holding ‘initial talks’ over 2026 Mercedes F1 seat

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The Formula 1 driver’s market always produces some unlikely stories every season and Mercedes are set to be the focal point this year.

Both George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli know that their current contracts expire at the end of 2025.

Many teams made changes to their line-ups over the winter, with many drivers signing multi-year deals, meaning Mercedes are out of kilter with the rest of the paddock.

Antonelli has impressed during his rookie F1 campaign, and it would be a surprise to see team principal Toto Wolff part ways with the teenager.

However, there have been more rumours of a potential exit for Russell despite his exceptional 2025 season thus far.

Red Bull have held informal talks with Russell in case Max Verstappen decides to move on.

This has led to Mercedes potentially considering their options and a surprise link with Sergio Perez.

Mercedes have reportedly held initial talks with Perez, and Wolff in the past has been left thoroughly impressed by the Mexican driver.

READ MORE: All you need to know about Mercedes F1 CEO and team principal Toto Wolff

Toto Wolff already impressed with Sergio Perez’s race and tyre management amid Mercedes links

During Perez’s first season at Red Bull during the 2021 French Grand Prix, Wolff described Perez’s ability to keep pace with Verstappen and his two Mercedes drivers better than the Dutchman’s previous teammates.

After that particular race, Perez’s tyre management was a key factor in the result and the fact he was able to deliver an alternative strategy Wolff said, “The two-stop was a danger for us because Perez was in the way and we got it [strategy] wrong.”

“If Perez hadn’t been in the window we would have, at least with one car, opted for a second stop and then basically put the other Red Bull car in a difficult situation.

“At that stage, you have four cars that are racing each other.

“He was obviously not in contention for the podium at the beginning but they were able to go long and that proved to be the right strategy to make it back to the podium.”

Perez played a similar role in the season finale in Abu Dhabi that year, holding Lewis Hamilton up as Verstappen made up significant ground.

The race eventually ended in the most controversial circumstances with Verstappen overtaking Hamilton on the final lap after a safety car, but Perez’s contribution to those events was essential.

READ MORE: Sergio Perez’s life outside F1 from net worth to nickname

How Toto Wolff reacted to Sergio Perez’s Red Bull decline before Formula 1 exit

Perez secured Red Bull’s only one-two finish in the drivers’ championship in 2023, but which heavily relied on the car’s unbelievable advantage over the rest of the field.

He initially appeared to be in a title battle with his teammate after winning two of the first four races, before Verstappen went on an unprecedented winning streak and Perez started to suffer.

At the 2023 Dutch Grand Prix in his official press conference, Wolff described the gap between Perez and Verstappen as “odd, bizarre,” before stating, “Checo’s not an idiot. We have seen in all these years Checo is a Grand Prix winner, multiple Grand Prix winner, and he was at Racing Point, so I cannot comprehend [it].

“We’ve seen that Max has destroyed every single team-mate that was with him, whether it’s his ability to create a car around himself, that is just very tricky to control but fast if you can, and that creates those gaps, the 1.3.

“But I haven’t heard any obvious explanations. But yeah. Odd.”

The struggles Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda have faced this year are starting to improve Perez’s damaged reputation as it appears unless your name is Max Verstappen, it’s virtually impossible to extract the maximum performance out of the car.

It would be a huge surprise if Russell departed Mercedes and Perez was the option they chose, but Wolff knows the Mexican driver well enough to be able to make a conclusive decision.