17/10/2025 21:30
Toto Wolff has insisted he will "learn from the mistake" of causing
doubt over the futures of his drivers following a drawn-out
negotiation period. Mercedes finally confirmed earlier this week
that George Russell and Kimi Antonelli will remain put next year.
The extensions come after a long period of speculation over the
line-up when Max Verstappen was heavily linked with a shock move to
the team. The four-time champion endured a difficult start to the
year but confirmed at the end of July that he would remain at Red
Bull next year. When asked by Sky F1 what his strategy was when
negotiating with both Russell and Verstappen, Wolff said: "The
truth is, you've got to learn from the mistake. "There wasn't any
on-purpose flirting. It's just a coincidence. It was clear that you
needed to have that conversation. "We ended up in the same place in
the summer, which obviously doesn't look good and is destabilising
for everyone. "But that's the past. Now, everything is cleared,
contracts are signed, and we move forward." Wolff has suggested in
the past that he would not be afraid to field Verstappen and
Russell alongside one another - despite the fireworks that may come
with such a blockbuster line-up. However, the Austrian would not be
drawn into fresh speculation regarding the two joining forces as he
highlighted his long-term faith in the Russell-Antonelli pairing.
"It would certainly be good entertainment for everyone!" Wolff
expressed. "But we don't want to create any rumours here. Kimi and
George is what we want to do in the future and going forward. And
it's a good line-up."
