Wurz has an intriguing theory and confronts Wolff with a question about Verstappen

GPblog could report on Monday that Verstappen would prefer not to leave Red Bull Racing. Could that scenario ever change? Yes, supposedly, if team principal Christian Horner’s power is not scaled back.

After the Austrian Grand Prix, Wurz asked on behalf of the Austrian ORF whether Verstappen and Antonelli were so kind to each other after their crash because they knew they would become teammates in 2026. In recent days, there has been much talk about Verstappen possibly moving to Mercedes, after George Russell confirmed that his team is in talks with the Dutch driver.

Wolff was asked this question by Wurz. The Mercedes team principal responded: “They simply respect each other. I think Max enjoys Kimi's career. There are a lot of similarities between [the careers of] the two of them.”

Wurz winked after Wolff's answer: “No answer.”

On the media day in Austria, Russell confirmed that Mercedes is in talks with Verstappen. After that, the rumours circulated all weekend. GPblog asked Wolff if there is a deadline for Verstappen to make a decision, to which the Mercedes team principal denied that he has already asked the Dutchman when he would like to come and under what conditions.

After the race, Wolff did make comments about a deadline concerning the choice between Russell and Verstappen. According to the Austrian, 'everything will be ready' during the summer break. Wolff did not want to specify when exactly a decision would follow. When asked by GPblog whether the decision falls before the summer break or afterwards, he answered: “Maybe in the middle.”