Mercedes address 'doubt' claim over F1 driver announcement delay

Mercedes has detailed its wait to announce its 2026 F1 driver line-up does not mean it is holding doubts about its current drivers. The Brackley-based squad has not yet confirmed either of its drivers for next year's campaign, which will be run under a fresh batch of technical regulations. For much of the year, Max Verstappen's future was unclear and the four-time champion was consistently linked with a shock switch to Mercedes. Mercedes boss Toto Wolff stated he was doing his due diligence as team principal to explore all options available on the driver market. However, prior to the summer break, Verstappen declared he would not be departing Red Bull at the end of the season. Since Verstappen's declaration, Mercedes has not yet confirmed its drivers for next year, but it is widely expected George Russell and Kimi Antonelli will stay put for a second year in partnership. As the F1 world waits for a decision, the team brushed off the need to impose a timeline on an announcement. "There's no fixed timeline on anything because a timeline just creates a barrage of questions if that is or isn't here," said Mercedes' team representative Bradley Lord. "These things are, by their nature, not bound by hard deadlines and things like that. "But you can take Toto's words at face value, and I probably don't need to add anything to them." Mercedes deny hesitation over 2026 driver decision Wolff has stated on numerous occasions his priority is to continue with his current line-up into next year. However, questions have been raised over why confirmation has not yet followed. Lord asserted the prolonged period does not mean there is an internal issue. "The fact that we haven't yet announced what we're doing in 2026, there can be myriad reasons for that. "That doesn't therefore mean, 'what would the reason for it not to be [announced]?' "That's not something we talk about or even are contemplating. "Because there hasn't yet been an announcement, you're assuming there is doubt or question or something else. "One does not mean the other, one doesn't equate to the other. "Our full confidence, our full intention is exactly that [retaining Russell and Antonelli] for 2026, as Toto has said many times. "At some point in the future, there will be an announcement, a confirmation of what we're doing in 2026."