George Russell and Kimi Antonelli are Mercedes' first choice for next season, team boss Toto Wolff said in comments appearing to rule out an immediate move for Red Bull's four-time Formula One champion Max Verstappen.

George Russell called his fifth in Belgium “the worst performance of the season” and said Mercedes “need to understand” why the car has lost so much performance. After a good start to the year that climaxed with a win in Canada,

George Russell could be on the verge of signing a new deal at Mercedes. Despite an impressive 2025 campaign so far, he’s now into the back half of the season without anything official in place. But it was reported on Friday that Mercedes are set to confirm extensions for both Russell and teammate Kimi Antonelli.