‘We’re going to sign Max’ Mercedes drops hint on Verstappen as Russell waits in limbo – Mercedes may have just thrown petrol on the rumour mill’s fire by hinting that Max Verstappen is at the centre of their plans for the 2026 season. George Russell’s current contract expires at the end of this season, and team principal Toto Wolff has been forced to address the ongoing speculation that Mercedes is targeting Formula 1’s biggest star, the four-time world champion currently at Red Bull, potentially at Russell’s expense.
Although Wolff insists that the future of his existing driver is not being put on hold, his public courtship of Verstappen suggests otherwise.
Russell’s contract renewal is taking a back seat as the Verstappen saga intensifies.
On the surface, everything appears under control. Russell, who joined Mercedes in 2022 and has led the team through a difficult transitional period, has publicly claimed that talks over his renewal are ongoing. However, the Briton also dropped a significant clue that Mercedes’ priorities may lie elsewhere, specifically with a certain Dutch superstar.
“There’s no urgency,” Russell recently replied when asked about his contract situation, cryptically adding, “They’ve got other conversations going on.”
These ‘other conversations’ could involve Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, whose long-term deal at Milton Keynes appears increasingly uncertain. Tensions between Verstappen and Red Bull’s senior leadership, including team boss Christian Horner and motorsport advisor Helmut Marko, have reached boiling point. Amid repeated off-track controversies, Verstappen has refused to confirm that he will remain with Red Bull beyond 2026.
Enter Toto Wolff, and a very public pitch
Toto gets candid: “You have to study what Max is going to do.”
Speaking to L’Equipe, the Mercedes boss was asked directly about the rumour linking Verstappen to Brackley, and whether this was related to Russell’s delayed contract extension. In typical Wolff fashion, the answer was both a denial and a subtle admission.
‘There is no delay in George’s contract because our deadlines have been clear for a long time,’ he said. ‘This has no impact on George’s signing.’
But what followed was pure bait…
‘As the team principal of the world’s best car brand, it’s only natural to consider what a four-time world champion is going to do with his future, even if it’s a few years away,’ Wolff continued.
That wasn’t a denial. It was practically a sales pitch.
‘It’s not about saying “we’re going to sign Max” because, at this stage, that’s not realistic,’ Wolff added. ‘But I’m always open about these things. I tell it like it is.”
So, while Wolff may not be waving a Mercedes contract in Verstappen’s face just yet, the message is clear: the door is wide open. And George Russell knows it.
Mercedes plays the long game as Red Bull burns
The Verstappen-Mercedes link is no longer hypothetical. It’s very much alive — not least because Red Bull itself is locked in a slow-motion implosion.
From the Christian Horner power struggle earlier this year to the failed gamble on Liam Lawson and Verstappen’s reported fury over engineering decisions, the Red Bull garage has become a pressure cooker. Verstappen has refused to publicly endorse the team’s direction. His engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, was absent in Austria. Whispers about Mercedes have grown louder with each passing race.
Meanwhile, Wolff continues to play the long game. With Lewis Hamilton now at Ferrari and the untested Kimi Antonelli still some way from reaching the top level of Formula 1, Verstappen would provide Mercedes with an instant title challenger — assuming the 2026 engine regulations don’t introduce any further complications.
‘The interest in Max is logical,’ said one insider close to the Mercedes camp. ‘But the timing is delicate. Toto doesn’t want to scare George, but at the same time, he wants to keep Max close in case the stars align.’
Russell in the dark: Loyalty or expendability?
The big question is what this means for Russell. Despite becoming the de facto team leader following Hamilton’s departure, the 26-year-old now finds himself in an uncomfortable limbo. He has delivered consistent performances, sometimes outpacing Hamilton during their partnership, and has earned praise for his professionalism. However, it seems that none of this guarantees job security.
Wolff’s assertion that Verstappen’s situation has “no impact” on Russell’s contract negotiations is difficult to accept at face value, given that his public statements are already paving the way for a potential mega deal with Max.
With Russell yet to sign on the dotted line, speculation is beginning to swirl. Might he be sacrificed if Verstappen is tempted away from Red Bull? Would Mercedes gamble by pairing Antonelli with Verstappen and letting Russell go to another team, such as Aston Martin or a returning Honda outfit?
Verstappen’s right-hand man replaced
The Verstappen domino effect
Verstappen holds the keys to the 2026 driver market. If he leaves Red Bull, the team’s power structure will collapse and the market for drivers will explode. Carlos Sainz, who is still a free agent, would be a likely replacement. Tsunoda and Hadjar would be promoted, and Red Bull’s entire project might be rebooted — or even abandoned.
Mercedes knows this. So does Toto Wolff. With every race, Verstappen’s discontent becomes more difficult to ignore. The fact that Wolff is now openly acknowledging the Dutchman as a target — however ‘unrealistic’ the timing may be — speaks volumes about the current power dynamics in the paddock.
Toto Wolff may claim that ‘we’re not signing Max’ — at least not yet. However, the mere act of talking about it so openly and pointedly while Russell’s own contract negotiations stall tells a different story. Mercedes is clearly laying the groundwork for something far bigger than a routine contract renewal.
Max Verstappen, the one man who could shift the balance of Formula 1 power overnight, is watching closely.
He just hasn’t said “yes” yet.
Shock move as Mr Ferrari himself joins McLaren
With over 30 years of experience in Formula 1 as an insider journalist, I have built trusted connections across the paddock, from race engineers and mechanics to senior team figures. At The Judge 13, I and a handful of trusted colleagues share exclusive Formula 1 news, expert analysis and behind-the-scenes stories you will not find in mainstream motorsport media.
