Mercedes staff are now ‘surprised’ by the stance Toto Wolff has taken on new George Russell contract

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Toto Wolff stated at Zandvoort that Mercedes are “continuing” with George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli for the 2026 F1 season, yet neither driver has a contract.

The Silver Arrows last gave Russell new terms back in August 2023 when they tied the 27-year-old down through the 2025 season. Wolff also only gifted Antonelli a one-year contract for the 19-year-old’s rookie F1 season this year, as Mercedes had to replace Lewis Hamilton.

Russell has resoundingly stepped into his new role as Mercedes’ team leader in the 2025 F1 season, with the Briton scoring 194 of the Brackley outfit’s 260 points this year. He even has their sole Grand Prix win and pole position so far, as well as six of the team’s seven podiums.

Mercedes saw Russell win the 2025 Canadian GP from pole in June, as Antonelli also earned his debut F1 podium with P3 in Montreal. But Russell was left in the lurch until this summer, as Wolff waited to learn if Max Verstappen could leave Red Bull and join Mercedes for 2026.

Toto Wolff’s hesitation to give George Russell a new contract has ‘surprised’ Mercedes

Verstappen confirmed he’s staying at Red Bull for 2026 at the Hungarian GP as the 27-year-old’s exit clause is not valid this year as he reached the summer break inside the top three of the F1 drivers’ standings. But Verstappen will only need to rank outside the top two in 2026.

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Yet while the Dutchman is off the market, at least for another year, Mercedes are still yet to commit to giving Russell or Antonelli new contracts. And Blick reports that staff at Mercedes are now ‘surprised’ that Wolff is yet to announce at least one driver for the 2026 F1 season.

Wolff’s hesitation to give Russell a new contract, in particular, is starting to create questions in Brackley. Antonelli, on the other hand, is struggling for form, having only scored points in three of the last 10 Grands Prix via his P3 in Canada, P10 in Hungary and P9 in Italy (Monza).

Williams racer Alex Albon has even now surpassed Antonelli for seventh place in the drivers’ standings. The London-born Thai has scored 70 points from 16 rounds ahead of this week’s Azerbaijan GP in Baku, whereas the Bologna boy has 66 points despite racing for Mercedes.

George Russell and Toto Wolff are still negotiating the finer points of his new contract

It has been reported that Russell and Mercedes have agreed on his contract for 2026. But an announcement is not currently forthcoming, as the 27-year-old and Wolff are still discussing their long-term plans and what his future will look like from the 2027 F1 season and beyond.

Additionally, it is said that Russell and Mercedes are negotiating his marketing commitments as part of any new contract. The Briton is privately frustrated about the amount of time that all of his marketing and media duties require, at the cost of the King’s Lynn native’s training.

So, while Wolff stated at the Dutch GP that Mercedes will be “continuing” with Russell and Antonelli in 2026, neither driver has signed a contract. But Wolff is not looking into loaning Antonelli to another F1 team next year, so his future will be at Mercedes in some capacity.