Mercedes now have two pressing doubts about pairing George Russell and Max Verstappen after latest Toto Wolff comments

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Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff will know that the deadline for deciding his driver pairing for the 2026 Formula 1 season is fast approaching.

There are only three teams that have yet to sign up a driver for next season, with Mercedes being the most high-profile.

Racing Bulls can rely on Red Bull’s academy should they need to replace Liam Lawson or Isack Hadjar, while Cadillac have their choice of the various free agents on the market.

George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli both went into this season knowing that they would have to perform well enough to earn new deals.

Antonelli’s maiden Formula 1 season has had peaks and troughs, and while he’s only scored points once in the last six races, that was as a result of his first-ever podium at the Canadian Grand Prix.

Russell has been one of the stars of the season, and his win in Montreal was a well-deserved reward for his performances.

However, both drivers know that the threat of Red Bull driver Max Verstappen is looming in the background.

Mercedes chiefs are keen to sign Verstappen, but that would mean sacrificing one of their current drivers.

The strongest pairing would be Verstappen and Russell together, but those within Mercedes have two major concerns about that scenario.

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Mercedes have two major doubts about Max Verstappen and George Russell as teammates

A report from the German outlet Auto Motor und Sport has shared more details about Mercedes’ driver situation.

If Mercedes did convince Verstappen to join, then Toto Wolff would need to consider Antonelli’s options.

The teenager has potential, but he’s not reached the heights that the likes of Verstappen or Lewis Hamilton did during their rookie years.

Antonelli could be loaned to Alpine to make room for Verstappen, but Mercedes have concerns about this.

Firstly, Wolff regretted leaving Russell at Williams for so long, and wouldn’t want to repeat that mistake.

Additionally, AMuS believe that Alpine would charge Mercedes a ‘high price’ for running Antonelli without any long-term prospect of being able to sign him.

Given Alpine will use Mercedes power units for the first time next year, the Silver Arrows could suddenly lose out on a chunk of cash they would have been expecting from that deal.

On top of this, Mercedes ‘experts’ believe that a team containing Russell and Verstappen wouldn’t work.

Their relationship is considered an issue, and while Wolff is the one person who could potentially keep them under control, it’s a risk some within the team won’t believe is worth taking when the expectation is they’ll be one of the favourites to win the championship regardless of which drivers are in the car.

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Toto Wolff says the ‘direction of travel’ is retaining George Russell and Kimi Antonelli

Wolff spoke to the Austrian outlet ORF in the build-up to the Belgian Grand Prix about his driver line-up.

He didn’t go as far as to rule out signing Verstappen, but explained: “Discussions have been taking place over the last weeks and months, so they are all up to date.

“The direction of travel is definitely that we want to continue with George and Kimi. That is the absolute priority. But you can’t look past someone like Max and the plans he has for the future. We did that, but I don’t think there will be any big surprises.”

Verstappen’s most likely team next season is Red Bull, but beyond 2026, there are still plenty of doubts.

It would make sense for him to delay any exit by 12 months to see which team is the best one to try and join during the new regulations.

However, concerns over his relationship with Russell and Antonelli’s next steps are unlikely to disappear in that time.