George Russell shines as Mercedes’ top driver, with contract talks underway and Verstappen rumours swirling ahead of a critical summer.
Toto Wolff believes George Russell is reaching his prime in Formula 1, just as talks for a new contract are heating up and expected to wrap up “before the summer.”
With Lewis Hamilton’s departure, Russell has naturally taken the lead role at Mercedes for 2025, now partnered with Wolff’s young protégé, Kimi Antonelli.
Over the first five races of 2025, Russell has delivered three podiums, including a strong second place in Bahrain where he finished ahead of Lando Norris, despite dealing with several onboard system failures in his W16.
Russell’s current contract runs until the end of 2025. Meanwhile, Mercedes could soon find itself with an opportunity to sign Max Verstappen, should he decide to leave Red Bull.
If Verstappen became available, Russell could theoretically be the one making way, but Wolff insists he is more than happy with Russell’s performance, describing it as his strongest start to a season in Formula 1 yet.
“What’s interesting is that Lewis was always the most experienced driver in our team,” Wolff said.
“With George, who was never overshadowed by Lewis, you can see he is now at the peak of his game, or just entering it.”
“He is clearly the senior driver now. He is delivering, he is taking responsibility, he is communicating well, and he has stepped into Lewis’s shoes even better than I could have imagined.”
“Right now, with George and Kimi, there’s no question we have an excellent driver lineup for the future. There’s no pressure. George is performing at the highest level, exactly as we had hoped and expected.”
“He’s doing everything we could ask of him, and more.”
But what if Verstappen does become available to Mercedes? While Wolff hasn’t ruled it out, he made it clear that “for now, that’s not the case.” Still, it would certainly spark some serious discussions.
Some voices in the paddock suggest Wolff may be less interested in Verstappen these days, seeing how well Russell and Antonelli are working together.
Wolff is also reassuring Russell fans that a new contract is nearly finalized.
“He already has a contract in place. It’s just about ironing out the last details if we choose to extend.”
And when will the rumors finally stop?
“Before the summer, I think,” Wolff concluded.
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