George Russell let slip Mercedes’ ongoing talks with Max Verstappen a day before Toto Wolff confirmed his contact, though Red Bull bosses Helmut Marko and Christian Horner seem unmoved

George Russell said Mercedes are in talks with Max Verstappen(Image: Getty Images)

Red Bull bosses have played down the chances of Max Verstappen quitting for rivals Mercedes. It was confirmed this week that the Silver Arrows remain in talks with the four-time Formula 1 champion, with driver George Russell first bringing up the subject.

On Thursday, media day before the Austrian Grand Prix, the Brit said that “conversations with the likes of Verstappen are ongoing” at Mercedes. And, a day later, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff confirmed that he has remained in contact with the Dutchman over a potential switch.

Not that bosses at Red Bull seem to be too concerned. Driver development chief Helmut Marko, who has a close relationship with Verstappen, responded to the claims by simply stating: “We can’t actually take this seriously. Russell just talks too much.”

And team principal Christian Horner also sounded confident as he told Dutch television: “They are just rumours. We know very well where we stand with Max, and where we stand contractually with Max. So yes, the rest is just a lot of noise at this point.”

Mercedes have a strong driver line-up comprising of Russell, who has started the 2025 season with impressive consistency and secured his first win of the year last time out in Montreal, and teenager Kimi Antonelli who the Silver Arrows hope can become the next big superstar of F1.

Both are out of contract at the end of this season, which has helped to fuel the speculation that Mercedes might convince Verstappen to make the switch. But while Wolff said he has remained in touch with the Dutchman’s camp, he made it clear that is remains far more likely that his current drivers will still be in their seats in 2026.

He said: “There is no delay in George’s contract negotiations because it has been clear for a long time what our timings were and we’ve known each other for such a long time, so there is no such thing as a delay.

“But as a team principal for the best car brand in the world, it is clear that you’re exploring what a four-time world champion is going to do in the future. That could be long into the future, but it has no effect on putting our signature on George’s contract.”

Regarding the nature of any conversations he has had with Verstappen about a potential future with Mercedes, Wolff added: “It’s also a long-term perspective and to understand what the framework he is operating on, no more than this.”

And he was clear in his response when asked specifically by Sky Sports if he felt it was more likely that Mercedes will field Russell alongside Antonelli, rather than Verstappen, in 2026. “Yes,” was his immediate reply.