According to escalating paddock whispers, Max Verstappen may activate an early release provision in his Red Bull contract. His contract expires in 2028, but around the middle of the season, a number of performance-related release options are rumoured to be available. According to reports, Verstappen’s team has contacted Wolff in recent weeks to discuss potential future prospects as the defending world champion considers his long-term prospects in Formula 1. Neither Russell nor Antonelli have been officially confirmed for 2026, which only serves to stoke the flames. The team is still dedicated to both drivers, Wolff told Austrian TV ORF, despite the rumours.
Is Toto wolff implying that Max would join Mercedes?
“They are all current because discussions have been happening over the past few weeks and months,” he stated. “We want to keep going in the same path with George and Kimi. The top priority is that. Someone like Max and his future plans are too important to ignore. I don’t think there will be any major surprises, but we did that.”
Given Red Bull’s recent on-track setbacks and the exit of important employees like Christian Horner, Adrian Newey, and Jonathan Wheatley, concerns over Verstappen’s future have grown. Mercedes’ interest in Verstappen and this unpredictability fuelled rumours during the midseason break.
Notably, former Formula One driver Ralf Schumacher used airline and yacht monitoring data that suggested Wolff and Verstappen were on holiday in the same region of Sardinia during the short break between the British and Belgian Grands Prix. The rumours were swiftly spread on social media, where tweets implied that the two might have had a private meeting during the mid-season break.
Wolff did not deny that they spent time together, but he rejected the notion that their shared holidays held any particular meaning. Although Russell’s current contract expires at the end of the current campaign, he has a solid foundation within the organisation because to his longstanding relationships with Mercedes through its driver management program.
With 147 points, he is presently ranked fourth in the drivers’ standings. His best start to an F1 season to date includes a win, five podium finishes, a pole position, and the fastest lap. At the midway mark of the season, Antonelli leads the crowded rookie class after putting on a number of impressive performances in his first year.
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