Toto Wolff wants Max Verstappen in one of his Mercedes cockpits for 2026. Both he and George Russell confirmed in Austria that talks are taking place.

This could leave Wolff with one of the great dilemmas in recent F1 history. Should he sign Verstappen – and that’s still regarded as unlikely – he will have to choose between Russell and Kimi Antonelli for the second seat.

Both drivers are signed to one-year deals. Much of the focus has been on Russell’s contract, particularly after a fourth career victory in Canada.

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But Antonelli is only 11 races into his Formula 1 career and has already shown glimpses of his supposedly generational skills. He became the youngest polesitter in any format when he set the pace in Miami Sprint qualifying, and bagged a maiden Grand Prix podium in Canada.

Toto Wolff will stick with Kimi Antonelli over George Russell if he signs Max Verstappen

Karun Chandhok suggested that Mercedes could bench Antonelli if they sign Verstappen. But this could cause career-altering damage to the Italian’s confidence.

And according to Bild, Wolff isn’t willing to take that risk. There will be ‘no room’ for Russell if Verstappen makes the move.

With 20 podiums to his name, Russell would receive offers from numerous teams. His tense personal history with Verstappen is a concern.

Wolff played down the importance of their fractious relationship last weekend by pointing out that he managed Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg for four seasons. But Mercedes surely won’t want a repeat of that dynamic.

Verstappen was given a 10-second penalty for causing a controversial collision with Russell just last month in Spain. And the duo publicly exchanged insults at the end of the 2024 season.

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Russell is one of the few drivers on the current grid who could justifiably be confident of challenging Verstappen at Brackley. Due to turn 19 in August, Antonelli would likely be his de facto number two.

Mercedes have been warned they could derail Antonelli’s development by signing the four-time world champion. But there’s every indication that Wolff won’t pass up the opportunity, having always regretted missing out in 2014.

However, Johnny Herbert believes Verstappen will join Aston Martin instead in what would be an enormous surprise. The team have never won a Grand Prix, but they have assembled a world-class group of engineers, including Adrian Newey.

From next year, they will be supplied by Honda, who have powered all of Verstappen’s championship-winning cars. Wolff must be wary of alienating Russell in the event that the Dutchman moves elsewhere.