Toto Wolff has successfully confirmed that Mercedes will proceed with George Russell and Kimi Antonelli within the 2026 F1 season.
Following the Dutch Grand Prix, Wolff advised media together with Crash.internet that Russell and Antonelli will keep as Mercedes’ drivers subsequent yr. Nonetheless, the finer particulars of Russell’s contract extension are nonetheless being finalised.
Mercedes had expressed an curiosity in signing Max Verstappen however the four-time world champion confirmed he can be staying put at Crimson Bull for 2026 earlier than the summer season break, successfully making it a foregone conclusion that Russell and Antonelli would stay on the Silver Arrows.
“I all the time say there’s not going to be any large information as a result of we’re doing this. We’re persevering with with each of them, after all,” Wolff mentioned.
“With George there’s just a few issues the place we wish to optimise a number of the travelling and the advertising and marketing days, what number of hours we’re placing in. He is an skilled driver and for us it is all the time necessary to speak about it.
“We wish to have the very best efficiency of the drivers and I believe we have given each of them fairly a pressure with advertising and marketing actions and media actions and that is how we’re recalibrating.”
Wolff additionally dominated out an official announcement from Mercedes forward of subsequent weekend’s Italian Grand Prix at Monza.
“Is there going to be an announcement in Monza? No,” Wolff added. “However I do not assume it’ll be even an enormous announcement. It is simply going to provide the heads up and say we have put a signature on the settlement.”
Toto Wolff defends F1 rookie Kimi Antonelli
Antonelli ruined each his and Leclerc’s race
Antonelli skilled one other troublesome weekend at Zandvoort as he worn out Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and earned two separate time penalties which dropped him from sixth to sixteenth within the classification.
However Wolff insisted Antonelli’s rollercoaster rookie marketing campaign was “completely anticipated” and reiterated his absolute perception within the Italian teenager’s potential.
“After we gave him the chance, it was additionally saying that we might give him a yr of studying, and there can be moments the place we might tear our hair out, and there can be different moments of brilliance,” Wolff defined.
“I believe this weekend just about sums that up.”
Wolff added: “The error in FP1, clearly one thing that places you on the again foot for the remainder of the weekend, after which within the race, these moments of nice driving.
“As soon as he was in free air, he was behind the McLaren the quickest automotive, caught up, after which once more was concerned in that accident that sadly meant the top for Charles’ race.
“However we wish him to go for the strikes, clearly. So up and downs, and that was completely anticipated from this season and each a kind of days goes to be a studying for subsequent yr.
“We’re not combating for a constructor championship. After all it is P2 and P3 [in the standings] that’s at stake, however this has much less relevance than subsequent yr when it is necessary to attain the factors.
“You all the time want that the educational has much less humps and bumps than it has right this moment as a result of the swings are monumental nevertheless it’s there. It simply must be unpeeled like an artichoke the place on the finish there may be the gold. It is there and we’ve got little doubt.
“My 100% perception is in him in the long run and that’s simply a part of the educational.”
