Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has disclosed that an agreement with George Russell over a new deal to ensure he will continue with the team in Formula 1 is “super near”.
Despite the current campaign having six rounds to run, Mercedes has still not announced the drivers who will be piloting the two cars built to new regulations in 2026.
Since Max Verstappen committed to Red Bull amid rekindled talks with Mercedes, the expectation has been that the German marque will retain its existing driver duo.
But although Wolff expressed that would be the case prior to Verstappen ruling out a switch elsewhere, neither Russell nor Andrea Kimi Antonelli has been confirmed.
That comes despite Russell revelling in his strongest season since being promoted to a works Mercedes seat in 2022, with two victories among eight podium results.
However, during a Singapore Grand Prix weekend that saw Russell translate pole position into a dominant win, Wolff admitted that the saga will soon come to an end.
When asked to provide an update on the contractual situation at Mercedes, Wolff told Sky Sports F1: “Well, we are like super near. Something like that.”
Wolff hails Russell step in 2025
Wolff reiterated post-race that Mercedes will communicate Russell’s renewal to the world “soon enough”, as he cited that minor details are behind the protracted wait.
“Contract-wise, good things take a while,” he told media including Motorsport Week. “It’s about the detail, and it’s not about the big topics.”
The Austrian, 53, lavished praise on how Russell has stepped up since becoming the recognised team leader at Mercedes amid Lewis Hamilton’s departure to Ferrari.
“He’s been formidable this year,” he elaborated.
“I haven’t seen mistakes. There were weekends that he himself said, ‘I could have done more, and I wasn’t a good race’. But this happens with any driver.
“You can see when it just merges, the car being in a perfect space, and the driver being on top of things, that becomes a dominant formula, and that is what we’ve seen here.”
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