Toto Wolff cryptic on Max Verstappen after George Russell leaked Mercedes talks

Toto Wolff gave a cryptic response when asked about talks with Max Verstappen ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix. Earlier in the weekend, George Russell hinted that conversations were ongoing between his team and the Dutchman's representatives over a move for the 2026 season. Verstappen is reported to have levers in his contract that could allow him to depart Red Bull, while Mercedes are yet to extend the terms of either Kimi Antonelli or Russell, both of whom have deals expiring at the end of the year.

Until now, while Mercedes have been courting Verstappen softly since Lewis Hamilton announced his exit in 2024, the expectation has been that Antonelli and Russell will continue with the Silver Arrows into the next regulation period. However, despite the Brit's immense performances this season, he remains without a contract for next year.

"As Mercedes, they want to be back on top, and if you're going to be back on top, you need to make sure you've got the best drivers, the best engineers, the best pit crew, and that's what Mercedes are chasing," Russell told Sky Sports F1 heading into the Austrian GP.

"So, it's only normal that conversations with the likes of Verstappen are ongoing. But from my side, if I'm performing as I'm doing, what have I got to be concerned about? There are two seats in every Formula One team."

The news of talks with Verstappen was a fresh admission from the Mercedes camp. Team principal Wolff has maintained a stance that he won't 'flirt outside of his relationships' at Brackley, but with Russell still without a deal for 2026, the 27-year-old will likely be sweating over his future.

His comments were pitted to Wolff ahead of Friday's track action, provoking a cryptic response from the 53-year-old. ''You make it sound like that we have been asking when do you want to join and what are the terms," he fired back. "That's not how it is and how it works.

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''I come back to my previous question. I want to just have the conversations behind closed doors, not town halls. We have a few drivers that have been in our program since a long time, drivers that I'm perfectly happy to have, drivers that will do great in the future of the team. So it's a bit different, the situation."

Some have speculated that Wolff could partner Russell and Verstappen together, although this would involve sidelining star rookie Antonelli. ''There are pros and cons of having two drivers fighting each other hard," the Mercedes boss explained when asked about that prospect.

"We've seen examples where that functioned and other examples where it didn't. And when it comes to the contract situation, you know our sport is pressure, constant pressure. Whether you're in the car, outside of the car, you just need to cope with that."