The head of the Mercedes racing team, Toto Wolff, voiced his opinion that his actions in relation to the Formula 1 driver market for 2026 were “handled with utmost transparency and fairness”.
This declaration comes even after Wolff’s pursuit of Max Verstappen, the four-time world champion, until it became clear that Verstappen was unable to use a performance-related clause to end his contract with Red Bull early. This speculation had brought uncertainty to the immediate futures of George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who were already part of the team.
Mercedes officially announced that their driver line-up would remain unchanged on Wednesday, ahead of the 2026 season.
Wolff told Sky Sports F1 on Friday that he intended to learn from what he described as a “mistake,” emphasizing that “there wasn’t any intentional courting” and suggesting it was “merely coincidental,” while acknowledging that the uncertainty around the driver line-up proved “destabilizing for all involved.”
Subsequently, during the Friday press conference, Autosport questioned Wolff about any conflicting moments he faced while negotiating deals for 2026, considering he deemed it his ‘responsibility’ to explore Verstappen’s future options. Wolff responded with greater confidence: “Adopting an open and transparent approach is the most effective way forward. At times, it might present challenges. Reflecting on past events, certain occurrences could have unfolded differently – coincidences that arose. However, I have consistently acted in the most forthright and equitable manner.
“I stand firm in my choices regarding drivers – namely George and Kimi. As I mentioned earlier, my complete focus remains on them, and that has been my consistent objective throughout the more challenging period during the summer.”
Even after Verstappen’s departure from the driver market, it took Mercedes two and a half months to finalize their 2026 contracts. Reportedly, the primary obstacle was Russell’s contractual public relations appearances.
George Russell, Mercedes, Toto Wolff, Mercedes
Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images
Looking back, Wolff insisted that finalizing this line-up was self-evident, saying that there was “never” any reason to doubt that rookie Antonelli would improve.
“It was consistently the decision we agreed on right from the outset,” the Austrian commented. “It was the line-up we opted for last year. We had faith in George’s capacity to take on a leadership role within the team. His performance has been really great, and Kimi is using this year as a learning experience. With that in mind, moving forward, it was essentially a straightforward decision.”
“When you consider [Antonelli’s] past achievements in junior racing and his character, there is absolutely no uncertainty, either in my mind or within the team, that we made the right choice by giving him this opportunity.”
Antonelli secured a top-five finish in the last two Grand Prix races, following a challenging period in Europe, which Wolff still views as “a learning season.” The Mercedes team principal anticipates that the 19-year-old Italian will become more competitive in his second season, as F1 transitions to entirely new cars in 2026.
“There are five or six races remaining – circuits that he has not yet experienced,” Wolff mentioned. “Austin is one of them. I am confident that we will see some very positive outcomes. However, there are also likely to be more complex sessions and challenging weekends.”
“However, everything will be reset at the beginning of next season. He will have had the opportunity to familiarize himself with the tracks. The cars will be new to every driver – a significant advantage. The other drivers will have more time with current cars, and Antonelli will have had time to learn how to effectively manage the pressure from the media and all stakeholders. That was the overarching goal for this season: to accomplish precisely that.”
Additional reporting by Ronald Vording
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