Russell and Antonelli remain: Why did Mercedes still speak with Verstappen?

According to Bradley Lord, the team representative of Mercedes, there is absolutely nothing to read into this, as he stated during a conversation with a small group of media - including GPblog. "There can be myriad reasons why we haven't yet announced what we're doing in 2026," the Briton explained in Hungary.

At the same time, there is no reason to assume that there is doubt about the future of Russell and Antonelli. "That's not something we contemplate. Just because there hasn't yet been an announcement, doesn't mean there's any doubt in our minds about our line-up for next year."

"Our full confidence and our full intention is exactly that for 2026, as Toto has said many times. At some point in the future, there will be an announcement and a confirmation of what we're doing in 2026," Lord stated.

There might be doubt among the public, because it was no secret that Mercedes wanted to attract Max Verstappen. In that case, one of the current drivers would have had to make way. "Toto has talked about exploring what the medium long term picture is," Lord explained.