15/09/2025 05:05
Toto Wolff is adamant that providing George Russell and Kimi
Antonelli the security of long-term contracts at Mercedes will not
make them any quicker. The team principal of the Brackley-based
squad insists that any driver who claims they would be faster with
the benefit of a multi-year deal does not have the "right" mindset.
Whilst the eight-time constructors' champion is in the process of
re-upping with its two drivers - on what are expected to be
one-plus-one terms with a team option - Mercedes has yet to
officially announce their extensions. Wolff did confirm the team
would be continuing with Russell and Antonelli, but the formalities
have dragged on longer than anticipated. It has led to considerable
intrigue surrounding the situation, which has also not been helped
by the Austrian's prolonged interest in Max Verstappen, something
that has been a factor in Mercedes' immediate driver plans. The
53-year-old engaged in talks with the four-time F1 drivers'
champion prior to the summer break, but with the Red Bull driver
staying put in Milton Keynes for the 2026 season, Russell and
Antonelli are expected to be retained on short-term deals. However,
Wolff maintains that approach has always been a "Mercedes pattern",
with it unclear which of his current pair would ultimately make way
if he can successfully court Verstappen in the future. "No, we've
always been, in the team, ones that haven't gone for the very long
term in contracts, and kept it very short," he told Sky Sports F1
when it was put to him that a driver of Russell's calibre is
usually tied down to a long-term deal - and that the current
negotiations seem late in the day. "I think the longest was a
two-year that we've done with some options. So, it's a Mercedes
pattern." The British driver has been one of the stand-out
performers in F1 over the course of the current campaign, and
Mercedes' failure to lock him into a multi-year contract has been
met by bewilderment in some corners of the paddock. But when
pressed on why Russell was not extended a year ago, with Lewis
Hamilton readying to depart, Wolff replied: "Because we were on a
one-plus-one [deal], and that's been traditionally what we've
done." Dismissing the notion that contractual stability is
beneficial, the Mercedes boss shared his view that - given the
heavy weight of expectation already on F1 drivers' shoulders - it
is not correct for one to claim a longer-term contract improves
performance. "I think it makes no difference, because they are
anyway under tremendous pressure," Wolff explained. "If a driver
says, 'I'd be quicker if I had a two-year contract', then that
mindset is not right."
