Wolff closes Mercedes door for Verstappen: 'We don't want changes for 2027'

Speaking to Sky Sports, Wolff was asked whether Verstappen is completely off the team's radar now. The Austrian said: "Yes, we don't want to change things and we said that also to George. I think it's a lineup that is good for us. I'm very happy with the two of them."

This comes after rumors emerged on Thursday that Mercedes exercised the option in the Briton's contract. GPblog understood this to be incorrect, and as a result, there announcement did not follow either. For Mercedes, this is not necessary either, as Russell has a multi-year deal that runs until the end of the 2027 season.

Russell has previously indicated that there were a number of clauses included in his contract, but that they were so easy to achieve that this posed no problem for his future. Mercedes has spoken about a multi-year deal with both Russell and Antonelli from day one.

Current championship leader Kimi Antonelli leads Russell by 50 points in the drivers' standings at the moment. Speaking about the Briton, Wolff added: "When you go into Formula 1, you are resilient and you have to believe in yourself. George is particularly good at that. All throughout his career there have been ebbs and flows.

"George doesn't need to prove to anyone that he has the speed, we know he has, and the ability," the Austrian concluded.