The Formula 1 summer break is just around the corner, which is typically when driver contracts for the following season are confirmed.
This year’s F1 driver market has been calmer than usual after the craziness of last year when Lewis Hamilton joined Ferrari and set off a chain reaction of moves.
Max Verstappen is at the centre of discussions this season, despite the fact that he has a long-term contract that runs until 2028.
Red Bull will be desperate to keep Verstappen, as without him, they would be struggling near the bottom of the constructors’ championship.
Position Drivers’ Championship PointsPts 1 234 2 226 3 165 4 147 5 119 6 103 7 63 8 46 9 37 10 23
Christian Horner was removed by Red Bull after the British Grand Prix, but it’s yet to be seen what impact that will have on the Dutchman’s decision-making.
Mercedes have been heavily linked with signing Verstappen, although team principal Toto Wolff has distanced himself from a move for the four-time world champion this year, without ruling it out entirely.
However, that doesn’t mean that the story is over, with Mercedes-Benz CEO Ola Kallenius potentially getting ready to have his say on the team’s driver line-up for 2026.
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Photo by Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty ImagesMercedes CEO still wants to sign Max Verstappen after hearing George Russell’s contract demands
A report from Autosport Web has shared more details about the thinking behind the scenes at the Brackley-based team.
Both George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli are out of contract at the end of the season.
However, it’s widely believed that Antonelli has options in his current deal that make an extension relatively easy to negotiate.
Russell has been Mercedes’ star driver this year, stepping up to replace Hamilton expertly after his move to Ferrari.
However, it’s taking a long time for Russell and Mercedes to come to an agreement, and that’s because they don’t agree on the terms of his next deal.
TEAMDRIVER 1DRIVER 2AlpinePierre GaslyN/AAston MartinFernando AlonsoLance StrollAudiGabriel BortoletoNico HulkenbergCadillacN/AN/AFerrariCharles LeclercLewis HamiltonHaasEsteban OconOliver BearmanMcLarenLando NorrisOscar PiastriMercedesN/AN/ARacing BullsN/AN/ARed Bull RacingMax VerstappenN/AWilliamsAlex AlbonCarlos Sainz2026 confirmed F1 drivers
Russell is believed to want a three-year contract and a ‘significant’ salary increase, while Mercedes only want to offer him a one-year agreement.
The report from Autosport Web goes on to say that Kallenius is now ‘pressuring the team to sign Verstappen as soon as possible’ because he wants the best driver possible in Mercedes’ line-up for 2026.
Wolff is happy working with Russell and Antonelli, and in the Italian teenager, he believes he has a ‘future championship driver’, while he’s also convinced that Mercedes will make a ‘significant technological advantage from 2026 onwards’, which negates the need to sign Verstappen.
It’s yet to be seen whether Wolff will get his way, or if Kallenius will pull rank and go all-out to sign the 27-year-old.
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Photo by Stefano Facchin/Alessio Morgese /NurPhoto via Getty ImagesToto Wolff still has a fractious relationship with Max Verstappen’s camp
One of the other important factors when it comes to Verstappen potentially joining Mercedes is his relationship with the Dutchman’s camp.
Wolff tried to sign Verstappen in 2020, but the following season strained any relationship that existed between the Mercedes team principal and the four-time world champion’s team.
Hamilton and Verstappen’s crash at Silverstone in 2021 saw the Dutchman have to go to hospital; such was the speed of his collision with the barriers on the opening lap of the race.
It’s believed that both camps cut ties after that season, but that their relationship has ‘gradually improved’ to the point where discussions can now take place.
However, Wolff and Jos Verstappen’s trust has ‘never been fully rebuilt’, which may explain why he’s so keen to retain his current driver pairing.
He would have seen how tense Horner and Verstappen’s relationship was in the paddock, and the last thing Wolff needs is to deal with that after the struggles of Hamilton and Nico Rosberg’s heated battle in 2016.