Managing Mercedes as Kimi Antonelli signs plus Max Verstappen and George Russell decision made

It’s not even midway through the 2025 Formula 1 season, and anticipation is already high regarding Mercedes’ line-up for next year amid fresh rumours Max Verstappen could join

Toto Wolff and the Mercedes team are approaching a major crossroads in regards to their driver line-up for next season. And with both George Russell and Kimi Antonelli set to see their contracts expire in December, resolutions are needed sooner rather than later.

Antonelli, 18, replaced Lewis Hamilton at the end of 2024 when he signed a one-year deal with the Silver Arrows. Russell’s three-year contract is also due to run out when this season concludes, and the team is running it close in terms of making a decision over their pairing for 2026.

Then there’s the looming figure of Max Verstappen, who has long been admired by team principal Wolff but is contracted at Red Bull until 2028. However, there have been inklings he could exit that deal early, and Mercedes face a conundrum in whether they should be the ones to execute that break-up.

After years spent on the F1 throne, Mercedes now faces going a fifth straight year without a title to its name. With that in mind, Mirror Sport has taken a crack at determining which composition makes the most strategic sense before preparations begin for the 2026 campaign.

Kimi Antonelli re-signs

This feels like the easiest decision of the lot. Ignoring the fact Mercedes need results now and not in a few years time, Antonelli simply seems too promising a talent to part ways with, not to mention the fact he’s a cheap expense on the salary bill.

The teenager has adapted well to the demands of F1, and aside from a couple of retirements for which he can’t be held responsible, he has largely overperformed in his senior debut. Montreal turned out to be a fabulous weekend for Mercedes as Antonelli snagged third place to go along with Russell’s win, making the former the third-youngest podium finisher in F1 history.

That’s after the Italian already became the second-youngest points-scorer in F1 and the youngest to both lead a race and set a fastest lap (at Suzuka). So while he may sit seventh in the standings for the time being, Antonelli has provided plenty of reasons to believe that ranking could rocket over time.

In short, releasing Antonelli now in favour of a more senior name feels like a decision Mercedes would inevitably come to regret in time. And while he may not be ready to lead the team to silverware in the immediate future, there’s every sign that time may not be too far off.

George Russell retained

Taking into account the fact Mercedes have been fighting with an inferior car in recent years, Russell has been a model professional throughout those travails. And it would be an indictment on the team if their response to that loyalty was to drop the axe on their current No. 1.

And it’s not as though Russell hasn’t been producing the goods, as evidenced when Mercedes’ rear suspension changes opened the path to victory in Canada. The Briton has as many podium finishes as Verstappen this season (five) and now boasts just one fewer win, admirably filling Hamilton’s shoes as lead driver.

Wolff acknowledged Russell’s progress at the Canadian Grand Prix this past weekend. And he said the 27-year-old is giving his bosses “all the reasons” to re-sign him on fresh terms following his pole position, which he would later convert into a win.

“He’s giving us all the reasons to do that quickly,” said the Mercedes chief. “We know what he’s capable of doing and he has been leading this team now since a while. He has the pace and the right attitude. He’s been a Mercedes junior [for] such a long time, and we are on track in doing what we’ve always planned.”

There’s also the fact F1 is at its core a numbers game, and Russell currently costs almost three times less than Verstappen. His reported £15million-a-year wage is liable to grow if he signs an extension but it’s still far from matching Verstappen’s reported £40m-a-year expense.

That’s a gargantuan amount that could otherwise be dedicated to the research and development of a winning car. And in truth, that’s where the battle for F1 supremacy is currently being won, or in Mercedes’ case, lost.

Max Verstappen rejected

The much harder route would be to persist in recruiting Verstappen, who still has another three seasons to run on his Red Bull contract. And that means on top of paying the Dutchman’s salary, the Silver Arrows would also have to compensate his current outfit for terminating his deal early.

There’s also the fact Mercedes would likely have to radically improve his wages, with Aston Martin also vying for his signature. Previous reports have suggested a record-breaking amount in the hundreds of millions would be required to lure the four-time world champion.

That’s money Mercedes cannot, or rather should not, be willing to risk considering success still isn’t guaranteed with him suddenly in silver. Not to mention the political implications given his numerous fallouts with the likes of Hamilton and Russell in recent years, simultaneously rubbing up Mercedes’ legions of fans the wrong way.

Wolff has rarely shied away from waxing lyrical about Verstappen and said in March 2024 that he would “love” to have him aboard, per Sky Sports. He added at the time: “This is a decision that Max needs to take and there is no team up and down the grid that wouldn’t do handstands to have him in the car.”

If only handstands were all that’s required, Wolff would have recruited the 27-year-old long ago. Instead, Mercedes are better off dedicating themselves to the much cheaper solution in Russell, who is only marginally worse off than Verstappen this season in what many would call a worse car.

There’s also the major risk that Mercedes would be investing in a star who has already past his peak and no longer has the hunger of old. He has already made numerous nods to a potential early retirement, which is rarely a good sign when it comes to sustaining success.

His frustrations have been on display for all to see after spending much of 2025 thus far trailing the superior McLarens of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris. And it may be Mercedes simply sees more of the same, the only difference being they’d be the ones footing the bill.