Toto Wolff has signalled a surprising openness to a potentially explosive driver pairing, suggesting Max Verstappen could join George Russell at Mercedes.
This comes as Russell, fresh from a victory in Canada, believes talks with the four-time world champion and Mercedes are ongoing.
The British driver, who has been one of the grid’s standout performers this season, indicated that the ongoing talks with Verstappen might be delaying the renewal of his own deal, which is set to expire in six months.
The prospect of Verstappen and Russell as teammates is fraught with tension, given their fractious history.
The pair engaged in a heated war of words following last December’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
More recently, Verstappen controversially accelerated into Russell’s Mercedes during the Spanish Grand Prix earlier this month, a reckless manoeuvre that leaves the Dutchman just one penalty point away from a race ban for next weekend’s British Grand Prix.
Such a high-stakes partnership inevitably draws comparisons to the tumultuous relationship between Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg.
Their rivalry, while delivering three world championships for Mercedes, famously descended into chaos during their three years as teammates.
But, when asked if Verstappen could be paired with Russell, Wolff said: “I can imagine every line-up. I had Hamilton and Rosberg fighting for a world championship so everything afterwards is easy.
“There are pros and cons to having two drivers fighting each other hard. We have seen examples where they have functioned and others where they didn’t.”
Russell’s Italian team-mate Kimi Antonelli, 18, has impressed in his rookie season. However, he is under contract for this season only, and has no guarantee of a seat with Mercedes beyond this year. He is 73 points behind Russell in the standings.
Verstappen’s contract at Red Bull runs until 2028, although performance clauses within his current deal could activate an early release.
Pressed directly on whether he is in dialogue with Verstappen, Wolff replied: “At the moment, clearly we need to explore what is happening in the future.
“That doesn’t change what I think about George, or Kimi or the line-up that I am extremely happy with. I want to have conversations behind-closed-doors and not in town halls.”
It had been suggested that Russell’s Mercedes extension could coincide with his home race at Silverstone next weekend. However, it is understood that a fresh deal for Russell, who is 62 points behind championship leader Oscar Piastri, is not imminent.
And Wolff continued: “When it comes to the contract situation, our sport is pressure, constant pressure, whether you are inside the car or outside the car, and you just need to cope with that. George knows that.
“I feel like when you are put into a comfort zone that is more detrimental to performance.
“He has always performed to the expectations we have set and he is continuing to do so. We have not given him a car to win the world championship, and that is on us.
“But in the times when the car has been good he is winning races, he is always there and you know he will extract what is in the car.
“He needs to be top of our list because he is a winner, a Mercedes junior, and he has been with us for a long time.”
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/Alan-Ritchson-Matt-Gaetz-021925-13870c8db3164081b691470de713b3e4.jpg?w=390&resize=390,220&ssl=1 "Alan Ritchson calls his childhood classmate Matt Gaetz a ‘motherf—er’")
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/black-mirror-Cristin-Milioti-paul-giamatti-jimmi-simpson-031425-bd20d75ebfcb40be99916efda7368de1.jpg?w=390&resize=390,220&ssl=1 "release date, cast, and more")