Wolff leaves door open to Antonelli-Verstappen partnership in the future: 'We're not afraid of it'

As GPblog reported a month ago, Mercedes will continue with Antonelli and George Russell as its drivers for the 2027 Formula 1 season. At the time, it was claimed that the German team had exercised an option in Russell's contract. However, this website understands that this was incorrect, which explains why no official announcement followed. Such an announcement was never necessary, as Russell is already under a multi-year contract.

Meanwhile, the biggest talking point in July was Verstappen's rumoured departure from Red Bull Racing and a possible move to McLaren.

Over the past years, the Dutchman was frequently linked to Mercedes as well. When asked about the four-time world champion, Mercedes CEO and team principal Toto Wolff did not rule out having Antonelli and Verstappen at the team together at one point in the future.

He told Sky Sports Germany: "You have to give Kimi time to develop. Max is driving at his peak. He can do everything. The two respect each other. They're from different generations. But having both of them in one team is, of course, a completely different starting point."

According to Wolff, it would not as tense as it was when Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg were teammates at Mercedes. "But it's not like I'm afraid of it, I had it worse with Rosberg and Hamilton. I'd probably handle it better today. We're not afraid of having the two of them in the same team at some point.

Still, the Austrian underlined that he is satisfied with the team's current driver line-up. "But in the current situation, we're happy with the dynamic between Kimi and George. We've made great progress as a team. Adding another variable now wouldn't be right for our long-term development."